UN envoy concludes Damascus talks on constitutional committee

DAMASCUS: The UN special envoy for  Syria  said he held “successful” talks Monday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on forming a committee to draft a post-war constitution.
“Today I have concluded another round of very successful discussions with Foreign Minister Moallem and we addressed all outstanding issues related to the constitutional committee,” Geir Pedersen told reporters in Damascus.  The diplomat said he also held “good discussions” with Nasr al-Hariri, the head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission opposition grouping.
Syria ‘s foreign ministry said the meeting with Pedersen was “positive and constructive”, in a statement posted on its social media channels.  The UN-backed push to form a constitutional committee has been bogged down by disagreements with President Bashar al-Assad’s government over the makeup of body.
Damascus hopes to amend the current constitution, while the opposition wants to write a new one from scratch.