UN Syria talks resume, Russia hopes for progress on a new constitution

Record ID: 876277

  • Title: UN Syria talks resume, Russia hopes for progress on a new constitution
  • Date: 17th May 2017
  • Summary: PLACE DES NATIONS SQUARE
  • Embargoed: 31st May 2017 17:09
  • Keywords: constitution opposition government war UN Syria talks
  • Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Government/Politics,United Nations
  • Reuters ID: LVA0056H89ZK7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:Syrian Intra-talks resumed on Wednesday (May 17) at the United Nations in Geneva where the Syrian government delegation, headed by Bashar al-Jaafari arrived to meet with Syria's Special Envoy Staffan De Mistura.
    Earlier, De Mistura met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov, who said he hopes the political process can get an additional impulse especially on a new constitution.
    De Mistura also met with U.S. Representative to the Syria Ceasefire Task Force, Henry S. Ensher.
    Meanwhile members of Syria's main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) took part in a gathering organised to show solidarity with detainees in Syrian government jails.
    The sixth round of talks kicked-off on Tuesday (May 16) in Geneva where De Mistura said the talks will be shorter and more business-like in order to achieve efficiency and make real progress.
    He stressed that there was no solution to Syria's devastating six-year civil war without a political settlement on the horizon, saying that the alternative is surrendering to the facts on the ground.
    This round of intra-Syrian peace negotiations, dubbed as "proximity talks" in which the two sides are not expected to speak face to face, is the third in 2017.
    While some progress on the humanitarian front has been achieved, opposing delegations remain at odds as to what the future, peaceful Syria, might look like.
    De Mistura's job is to help bridge deep-seated gaps between rival delegations, while ensuring that any outcome is in line with UN Security Council resolutions.
    While progress on the political track has been slow, the U.N. stands by its commitment to pursue peace through political negotiations to prevent further bloodshed in a country where as many as 400,000 people have died and millions more have fled their homes.
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