On February 22, 2022, United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, had set the dates for the seventh, eight, and ninth rounds of the Syrian Constitutional Committee’s proceedings.1 Indeed, two out of the three rounds were held, leaving the ninth round pending since then, conditional on the political changes that the International scene has witnessed, with the Syrian file not being isolated from them.2 The ninth round was scheduled to be held in June 2022, but just two days Pederson set a preliminary date for the three rounds, Russia invaded its neighbour Ukraine.3 Switzerland, which hosts these talks in its second-largest city (Geneva), became a non-neutral environment in the eyes of Moscow, since it opposes the Russian invasion of Ukraine, like the European Union countries, the United States, and many countries of the world.4 (English. enabbaledi)
These circumstances have left the ninth round hostage to a consensus on an alternative country to host the only politically accepted UN path for the Syrian file and have shifted the compass of dispute from the files under discussion to the place of such discussions, adding a new disagreement to other complex, intricate disputes, with this time the parties being not the Syrian regime and the opposition, but Moscow and the Western countries after their relationship began to slide following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with the Syrian people bearing the cost.5 Statements by Arab and western officials, and all assurances about the necessity of resuming the work of the constitutional committee from where it stopped (the eight round on June 3, 2022), did not bring the ninth round any closer, nor did it allow the process to continue , leading Pederson to announce, on February 27, the issuance of official invitations to hold the ninth round in Geneva at the end of next April.6 (English. enabbaledi)
So now the United Nations is having trouble finding a new venue to hold these peace and transition talks on Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his counterparts Türkiye’s Recip Tayip Erdogan and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi have all agreed that the country in question, Syria needs a new constitution. However, there are disagreements among them about whether current Syrian President and dictator Bashir al Assad should continue in power. Both Tehran and Moscow want Assad’s regime to remain as he is their closest ally in the Arab world. In the beginning Erdogan and his government wanted Assad to step down but fears an insurgency amongst the Kurdish groups in Syria will lead to instability in Türkiye. The Kurdish groups include the YPG which is allied to the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) in Türkiye.
Russia has complicated its role in the Middle East’s wider region by its war in Ukraine. It is toying with the diplomatic arrangements of the UN particularly Switzerland where Geneva is the site of the international body’s European headquarters. On the one hand Russia is fighting in Ukraine to overthrow that country’s government, while Syria’s Assad is in conflict with rebels (opposition) who want a more democratic system for their government. The main issue at hand is for the Constitutional Committee is to have a formal venue set up in a host country to meet with representatives from both the Syrian government and the opposition. The purpose of this committee is to arrange dialogue between both sides of the opposition and the regime to agree on a new constitution as well as a transition to new presidential and parliamentary elections.
The new constitution would include term limits for the president and respect for human rights and the rule of law. This will go against the interests of what Assad and his entourage want which is continuity of the status quo. For this reason, they are boycotting the meetings.7(English. enabbaledi)
During a briefing he presented to the Security Council, UN Envoy Pederson said he would send the invitations that same day, expressing his hope for a positive response from the Syrian parties, as he appealed to the main international parties to support the United Nations’ efforts as a facilitator, and to refrain from intervening in the location of the Syrians’ meeting.8 Pederson also clarified that the Constitutional Committee cannot resolve the conflict alone, and resolution “2254” addresses a broad array of issues, reminding of the clear ideas concerning confidence-building measures, “step for step” and addressing the essential elements of Resolution “2254”.9 This step by Pederson was met with unofficial reservations from the Syrian regime, as expressed by the regime-affiliated al-Watan newspaper, which considered the UN envoy’s stance as an attempt to embarrass Russia.10(English. enabbaledi)
UN Envoy Pederson to Syria has his work cut out for him. He has to bring all the relevant parties to the negotiating table and persuade them to find a long-lasting solution to the chaos. A stable Syria is needed for the return of the refugees to their home country. The Constitutional Committee can only do so much for situation, with out the support of all the relevant parties. Assad for his part may have to recognize he can’t stay in power indefinitely, despite the impact term limits will have on his fragile ego. Assad may be barred from standing again for elections and he may have to answer before a Truth and Reconciliation Commission for his crimes. This may be why Assad and his lackeys doesn’t want to adhere to the step-by-step process being put together by Pederson as it could eventually lead to him stepping down.
There should be a very good lesson to the rest of us in this to be weary of such dictators.
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
