Syria constitution body should be inclusive: Germany

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN

A committee tasked with drafting a new constitution for Syria should be balanced and inclusive of all Syrians, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his meeting with UN special envoy Geir Pedersen, Maas underlined that Germany, a member of the Small Group on Syria, would continue to support efforts for the formation of Syria's constitutional committee.

"The convening of a constitutional committee should be a door opener for further political changes in Syria. A balanced and inclusive composition of the constitutional committee is a prerequisite for its success," he stressed.

'We need to build trust'

UN special envoy Pedersen stressed that there was an urgent need for a new beginning in Syria to achieve progress in political efforts to find a solution.

"We need to build trust between the different communities and make sure that we move forward in parallel with the political process," he said.

Pedersen also underlined that the beginning of the constitutional committee's work would play a key role in the process.

"Hopefully it would be a door opener for the political process for Syria," he said, but added that there were "still some issues that need to be sorted out".