Western diplomats demand Russia to put pressure on regime for its opposition to UN role

NEWS DESK

UN diplomats have called on Russia to put pressure on the Syrian regime to dissuade it from giving the United Nations a role in forming a committee to draft a new constitution for the country.

UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura told the Security Council on 26 October that the United Nations is facing a serious challenge of its efforts to reach a peace agreement in Syria as a result of the regime's refusal to accept any official role of the United Nations in forming a constitutional commission.

"The role of the United Nations is to facilitate dialogue among the Syrians," the regime’s ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Jaafar told the council, insisting that the members of the constitutional committee must be chosen only by the Syrian opposition groups and the regime in coordination with its allies; Iran and Russia.

De Mistura prepared a list of 50 members of the Constitutional Commission as instructed by the so-called "Syrian Peace" conference hosted by Russia in January.

While the regime objected on the representatives of civil society organizations and the UN list although it accepted a list of 50 members of the "opposition groups" in Syria.

De Mistura said that he would brief the leaders of Russia, France, Germany and Turkey who will meet in Istanbul on October 27 on the situation.

Although Washington does not participate in the Istanbul meeting, the US Deputy Ambassador Jonathan Cohen said that he supports the UN efforts to move quickly to hold the constitutional committee. The Syrian obstruction in forming the committee is unacceptable.

France's UN ambassador Francois Delatri said, "Syria is now at a crossroads. We can go toward a military escalation in Idlib, the last stronghold of the mercenaries in Syria, or walk on the road of political momentum, starting with the agreement on a constitutional committee."

He added that Russia would play a key role in determining the outcome.

"Between war and peace in Syria is the big key in the country of Tolstoy," said Delatri, in an indication to the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy, the author of War and Peace Book.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nibenzia, urged the Western leaders to be patient saying, "There are no reasons to create artificial final deadlines for the establishment of a constitutional committee."

But he said, "We cannot oppose the will of Syria ... We will help Staffan de Mistura to establish this constitutional committee with the respect of the Syrian sovereignty."

H/S

ANHA