Pedersen called on the members of the UN Security Council to unify their position to break the stalemate that dominates the Syrian record and overcome the current divisions in the international community, during the session in which he recognized the failure of the political path.
Pedersen said in a press release after a closed session held by the Security Council on Tuesday that he did not have a plan of action for the future. And he considered that “it is necessary to adopt a constructive international diplomacy on Syria. Without this, there is little possibility of real progress on the constitutional path.”
The monthly session of the Security Council to discuss the Syrian file is usually open, but after the failure of the last meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva at the end of January, it was decided to close the session.
Pedersen admitted that the last meeting of the Constitutional Committee was a “missed opportunity” and was “a disappointment”. He explained that “some people suggested continuing to use the same mechanism, while others demanded a complete change in the frequency and duration of meetings, and the establishment of a schedule.”
Pedersen held the Syrian regime responsible for the failure of recent talks, saying: “I told the Security Council, during our meeting, that the co-chair of the Syrian government did not accept any of the proposals that I presented to him or that were presented by the co-chair of the opposition. “.
He added: “There is a part that proposes to work in the way of work followed in the past, and another part wants a complete change of the calendar and the duration of the meetings. As I told the Security Council, the fifth session of the Committee Constitutional It was a missed opportunity and a phrase of disappointment. “
He told the council that there was a need to change the committee’s working method and that he wanted to see “credible participation to ensure that in the event of an appeal from the commission, it works properly, works quickly and achieves some results and continued progress in line with the terms of reference that we have already agreed upon. “
Pedersen spoke of the lack of confidence and political will for consensus, as well as the absence of political space to achieve it, pointing to many issues that are of concern to non-constitutional parties, expressing his hope to visit Damascus soon. and participate in the next Astana Group meeting to be held in Sochi, Russia.
Pedersen indicated that setting a date for the meeting of the Constitutional Committee depends on the discussions it will hold with the different parties. He stressed that it is not possible for any party or group of parties, whether Syrian or non-Syrian, to determine a political solution to the conflict, but must be negotiated, highlighting the need to bridge those gaps in international positions, define reciprocal steps and determine the realism and precision to achieve progress, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254.
In this session, Western countries unanimously condemned the failure of the political path taken to end the conflict in Syria, while some diplomatic sources said that Russia had repeatedly obstructed the ongoing negotiations to reach a joint statement.
Five European countries in the Security Council blamed the Assad regime for the fact that the Constitutional Committee failed to make any progress in the negotiations. The permanent ambassadors of Estonia, France, Ireland, Belgium and Germany said, in a joint statement, that “the Syrian regime continues to obstruct the process, refusing to participate constructively in the proposals of the UN Special Envoy and the Syrian opposition.” .
The statement adds: “Despite the five rounds of negotiations that took place during the last year and a half, we regret the lack of substantive progress in these meetings towards the drafting of the constitutional reform, in line with Council Resolution 2254. of security”.
He said: “The refusal of the Syrian regime to engage constructively with the proposals of the Special Envoy and the Syrian opposition has resulted in the absence of a draft constitutional reform.” He explained that “until now there is no specific date for the next meeting of the Constitutional Commission and, as the Special Envoy said, the situation cannot continue as such.”
The ambassadors highlighted that the five countries fully support the efforts of the Special Envoy to implement all elements of Resolution 2254, including the release of detainees and the organization of free, fair and transparent elections, administered under the supervision of the United Nations. with the participation of all Syrians, including members of the diaspora … with a comprehensive, genuine and complete political transition, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254.
