The government and opposition co-chairs of the Syrian Constitutional Committee agreed to create a new constitution, the United Nation's special envoy to Syria said.
The drafting committee, which includes 45 members from Syria's government, opposition, and civil society, has been tasked with writing new fundamental legislation that would lead to UN-supervised elections.
Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said the Syrian co-chairs decided to "plan and start writing constitutional change" after meeting for the first time ahead of the week-long discussions.
The meetings, which will be the sixth in two years and the first for the drafting committee since January, will focus on "clear principles," Pedersen said, addressing the reporters in Geneva. He did not give further details about it.
The Syrian Constitutional Committee's co-chair, Hadi Al-Bahra, said the opposition delegation was demanding reforms that included equal rights for all Syrian citizens.
“Because we don’t have separation of power in the current constitution, it created an imbalance which was utilized in the wrong ways,” he said addressing a separate briefing on Sunday night.
He stated that each side will submit suggested texts on subjects like sovereignty and the rule of law.
Syrian government delegates did not speak to the media throughout the discussions.
Syria's ten-year conflict erupted from a popular revolt against President Bashar al-regime.
Assad has regained control of much of Syria thanks to Russian backing, but large parts remain beyond his authority: Turkish forces are stationed in most of the north and northwest, while US forces are stationed in the Kurdish-controlled east and northeast.
Assad's officials had rejected proposals from the Syrian opposition as well as the envoy's ideas for pushing the constitutional process ahead, according to Pedersen, a senior Norwegian diplomat.
“Since then... I have been ...trying to be able to establish a consensus on how we are going to move forward. And I am very pleased to say that we have reached such a consensus,” he said on Sunday.
According to Western officials, Russia has pushed Damascus to be more flexible in the negotiations in recent weeks, and Pedersen has made two trips to Moscow in recent months.
