UN Preparations To Hold Syrian Constitutional Committee 'On Track' - Spokesman

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published October 24, 2019 | 01:10 AM

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th October, 2019) The first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee (SCC)) will take place in accordance with the schedule due to UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen's efforts, Secretary-General spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

The UN confirmation comes a day after Turkey and Russia, as a five-day ceasefire came to an end, reached an agreement to withdraw Kurdish fighters from northeast Syria and permanently halt Ankara's military offensive.

"He [Pederson] has been working with the various parties to try and make sure that the meeting of the [Syrian] Constitutional Committee is on track," Haq said.

Pedersen, Haq added, "fully intends" to begin the SCC on time, and the United Nations will make some announcements in the coming days regarding details of the meeting.

On October 9, Turkey launched a military offensive in northeast Syria to clear its border of Kurdish and Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) fighters and establish a so-called safe zone.

On October 17, Turkey agreed to a five-day ceasefire to allow for the withdrawal of Kurdish fighters.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Donald Trump said all US sanctions on Turkey are being lifted because Ankara had halted the offensive and agreed to make the ceasefire permanent. A US senior administration official told reporters the United States had no role in Tuesday's agreement reached between Ankara and Washington which also calls for joint Turkish-Russian patrols of northeast Syria.

The 150-member Syrian Constitutional Committee will convene for the first time in Geneva on October 29-30. Representation within the body is split equally three ways between the nation's government, opposition and civil society. It also contains the smaller committee within it that includes 45 people - 15 from each of the three represented groups - that will prepare constitutional initiatives, while the larger body will be responsible for adopting them.