Syria talks end with plan for Constitution changes

UN envoy upbeat about outcome of the Sochi peace conference

A committee was set up at the Syrian peace talks held in Russia's Sochi on Tuesday, with the aim of discussing revisions to the current Syrian Constitution, Syria's State TV said.

The committee has been formed by 150 government supporters and opposition figures attending the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in the Russian Black Sea resort city, according to Syrian media.

Around 1,600 figures were invited by Moscow as part of the Russian efforts to advance a political solution to end Syria's seven-year war.

The UN special envoy for the Syria crisis, Staffan de Mistura, was upbeat on Tuesday about the outcome, hailing an agreement on the formation of the committee to draft a new constitution for the war-torn country, Xinhua reported.

He emphasized that the achievement will be a contribution to the UN-led Geneva process for the country.

The committee, which will consist of 45 to 50 members, will become a reality in Geneva. He said: "The UN-led Geneva process will agree on the proposals the special envoy will make on the mandate, terms of reference, powers, rules of procedure and selection criteria for the composition of the constitutional committee in Geneva."

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres sent de Mistura to the two-day talks.

Ahmad al-Kuzbari, a Syrian parliamentarian and a participant in the conference, told Syria's State TV that the new committee will discuss revising the constitution rather than drafting a new one.

"The members of this committee will sit together to discuss whether there are points in need of any reforms, amendments, or additions, and then they will submit these proposals later to the chairmanship of the Sochi congress," Kuzbari said.

Wang Xingang, a researcher at Northwest University, said the political situation in Syria is unlikely to go back to how it was in 2011 when the war started.

He said the key to rebuilding the Syrian political structure is to take care of the interests from both government and the opposition.

As Xinhua reported, the final statement of the Sochi meeting affirmed respect and full commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.

"No part of the national territory can be abandoned," said the statement, adding that the Syrian people remain committed to the restoration of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by all legal means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and international law.

The statement stressed that only the Syrian people have the right to decide the future of their country through democratic means.

The statement also stressed "preserving the Syrian Army that performs its duties in accordance with the Constitution, including protecting the borders and the Syrian citizens from external threats, as well as combating terrorism wherever it is found".

Irina Zvyagelskaya, a senior researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said the peace talks in Sochi helped the boost of the solution of Syrian crisis.

She said the talks at least provided a platform for both sides to change opinions about the region.