The rapprochement between the warring parties in Syria has yet to materialise despite contacts in Switzerland

Syria's Constitutional Committee, made up of representatives of the government, the opposition and civil society and charged with drafting a new constitution, concluded several meetings in Geneva (Switzerland) on Saturday, which United Nations (UN) mediator Geir Pedersen described as encouraging, although no concrete progress can be seen at present. 

The intention is to establish a new constitutional text in order to subsequently hold democratic elections supervised by the UN itself.

"There are strong disagreements and delegates were not afraid to express them, but at the same time they recognised that there are points in common and I hope that next time there can be agreement based on them to move forward," Pedersen told the media gathered for the negotiations. 

The contacts began last Monday, but were interrupted two days after four cases of coronavirus were detected among the participants. Following monitoring by the Swiss health authorities and the implementation of recommendations, the Committee members have been meeting since Thursday. 

The Constitutional Committee is composed - in its reduced version - of 45 members, with equal representation from the government, the opposition and civil society. They represent the entire 150-member body at the Geneva negotiations, whose work of drafting a new constitution is the cornerstone of the diplomatic process being promoted by the international community for Syria, which is in a difficult and complicated situation as it is in the midst of a civil war that has been raging since 2011 and which pits the government of President Bashar al-Asad against the insurgents and opposition who have taken refuge in the last bastion of Idlib province, located in northwest Syria. 

Al-Asad's regime has the support on the ground of Vladimir Putin's Russia and seeks to reunify the whole nation by conquering the last stronghold of Idlib, with the declared aim of pacifying the country and putting an end to the Jihadist terrorism it claims is housed in Idlib. Meanwhile, on the way there are, besides the rebels, Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Turkey, which entered through the Turkish-Syrian border in the north to position itself in the area with the excuse of harassing the Kurds, whom it accuses of carrying out terrorist acts in the south of the Ottoman territory. 

This initiative of the Eurasian nation is part of its expansionist strategy aimed at improving its geostrategic position in the Middle East and the Mediterranean Sea (we should recall the incursions into the war in Libya and the interventions in Iraq) and having greater possibilities of obtaining resources in terms of gas and oil prospecting. 

To all this should be added the presence in Syria of militias associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is present on Syrian territory thanks to the activity of the Quds forces (international division of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, an elite corps of the Iranian army) and collaboration with the Liwa Fatemiyoun armed group, which is also Shia-based and of Afghan origin. 

The challenge currently facing Syria is to bring peace to the country and hold free and transparent general elections; everything is aimed at putting a definitive end to the Syrian civil war that has ravaged the country for nine years and has caused half its inhabitants to become refugees (mostly in neighbouring countries) or internally displaced persons.

According to Geir Pedersen, in the last days of talks between the Syrian parties involved there was mutual treatment with respect and fluid dialogue, but there are still differences over the agenda to be followed. The parties did agree to continue in this process and to meet again soon in Geneva, though they have not set a date for this. The UN special envoy for Syria acknowledged that no progress had been made at the meetings on issues he considers to be a priority for building confidence between the parties, such as the release of political prisoners or the issue of missing and kidnapped persons. With respect to the latest ceasefire agreed by Turkey and Russia in March on the siege of Idlib, Mr Pedersen is confident of a certain stability of the latter despite the violations committed.

Furthermore, President Bachar al-Asad entrusted Prime Minister Hussein Arnous with the formation of a new government, which is expected to take place in the next few hours. Several sources indicated to the German agency DPA that "the formation of the government is ready and will be announced in the next few hours, to be sworn in before the Syrian President Bachar al-Asad next Tuesday".

Syria's main opposition on Saturday called on the main powers to help achieve a ceasefire throughout the country in the coming months to pave the way for a political transition after nearly a decade of war.

In this vein, Hadi al-Bahra, co-chairman of the Syrian opposition's Constitutional Committee, addressed journalists present at the Geneva talks to indicate that until there is a national ceasefire, the political process will remain at a standstill. He also pointed out that it is the responsibility of the international community and of countries supporting either side in the war to push for a complete and permanent ceasefire. "When we see that happen, we will see that the political process moves faster, because all parties will know that there is no way they can achieve a final victory in military terms," he said. "They will not allow any victory for either side. My expectation is that in the coming months we will see a complete and comprehensive ceasefire throughout Syria, and then we will see more international efforts to move the political process forward to make it move faster," he added.