Syria Constitutional Panel Launched, Opposition Urges Justice

Members of the Syrian civil society delegation arrive at the United Nations for the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, October 30, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Members of the Syrian civil society delegation arrive at the United Nations for the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, October 30, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
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Syria Constitutional Panel Launched, Opposition Urges Justice

Members of the Syrian civil society delegation arrive at the United Nations for the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, October 30, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Members of the Syrian civil society delegation arrive at the United Nations for the first meeting of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva, Switzerland, October 30, 2019. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

Syria’s government condemned what it called the occupation of its land and the opposition demanded justice and peace on Wednesday at the opening of a UN-backed panel designed to bring about political reconciliation ending years of civil war.

The first meeting of Syria’s so-called Constitutional Committee, composed of government and opposition members as well as civil society, is a step forward in what the United Nations says will be a long road to political rapprochement.

Experts question whether the government of President Bashar al-Assad would be willing to give away much at the negotiating table after consolidating its military control on the ground.

In opening remarks at an opening ceremony, Ahmad Kuzbari, the committee’s government co-chair, hit out at “terrorism” and hailed “the sacrifices and heroic deeds” of our army.

He added: “The occupation of our territory, the spoliation of our resources, the continuing imposing of unilateral sanctions threaten the entire political process as well as being in contradiction with international legitimacy”.

Opposition co-chair Hadi al-Bahra said 65 percent of Syria had been damaged, adding: “It is time for us to believe victory in Syria is achieving justice and peace not winning the war.”

Government and opposition delegations sat stony-faced opposite each other in a gilded hall at the UN European headquarters in Geneva, convened by UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen with the backing of major powers.

The 150-member committee is designed to pave the way for political reform and free and fair UN-supervised elections in the country, where the war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions to flee since March 2011.

The government, Syrian opposition and civil society groups each have 50 members serving on the panel. Each delegation includes Kurds, but there is no representation from the SDF militia or its main Kurdish YPG component.

A sub-group of 45 is charged with drafting a new constitution or revising the 2012 one.

“This is a historic moment,” Pedersen said, while recognizing that it was not easy for the delegations to sit in the same room and the “road ahead will not be easy”.

“But the fact you are here sitting face-to-face ready to start a dialogue and negotiations is I believe a powerful sign of Syrians everywhere, both inside and outside the country.”

The co-chairs did not shake hands at the end of the 45-minute ceremony.

“It is just the beginning of a very difficult process which is going to be extremely challenging to manage,” Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told a news conference on Tuesday night after meeting his counterparts Turkey’s Mevlut Cavusoglu and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov in the Swiss city.

“It must be Syrian-owned and Syrian-led, it must be viable and seen as such by the Syrian people,” he said.

“I think overall you find a good representation of all the Syrian people within the committee,” al-Bahra told Reuters when asked about the Kurds.

Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels, joined Iran and Russia, the main backers of Assad, in claiming credit for the initiative.



UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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UN Calls for Independent Probe into Civilians Harmed Trying to Get Food in Gaza

 Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Palestinians carry bags filled with food and humanitarian aid provided by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a US-backed organization approved by Israel, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Tuesday slammed as "unacceptable" the deaths of Palestinians seeking food aid in Gaza, a spokesman said, calling the loss of life in the territory "unthinkable".

"The Secretary-General continues to call for an immediate and independent investigation into these events and for the perpetrators to be held to account," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.

"We are witnessing unthinkable loss of life in Gaza (and) the secretary-general condemns the loss of lives and injuries of Palestinians seeking aid," he said. "It is unacceptable civilians are risking and in several instances losing their lives just trying to get food."

At least 27 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded by Israeli fire near a food distribution site in the southern Gaza Strip on Tuesday, local health authorities said, in the third day of chaos and bloodshed to affect the aid operation.

A spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross told Reuters that its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after.

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation launched its first distribution sites last week in an effort to alleviate widespread hunger amongst Gaza's war-battered population, most of whom have had to abandon their homes to flee fighting.

The Foundation's aid plan, which bypasses traditional aid groups, has come under fierce criticism from the United Nations and established charities which say it does not follow humanitarian principles.

The private group, which is endorsed by Israel, said it distributed 21 truckloads of food early on Tuesday and that the aid operation was "conducted safely and without incident within the site".

However, there have been reports of repeated killings near Rafah as crowds gather to get desperately needed supplies.

On Sunday, Palestinian and international officials reported that at least 31 people were killed and dozens more injured. On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire.

The Israeli military has denied targeting civilians gathering for aid and called reports of deaths during Sunday’s distribution "fabrications" by Hamas.