Syria Constitutional Committee's ninth session delayed

The ninth session of the Syrian committee working to update the country's constitution has been indefinitely delayed, according to an official with the opposition overnight Friday.

Hadi Al-Bahra, the opposition's co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee (SCC), said UN envoy Geir Pedersen sent him a letter notifying him of the delay to an unspecified date, The New Arab's Arabic sister service, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.

The session had been scheduled to start on 25 July, but Bahra said he was informed by Pedersen that it would be postponed due to the Syrian regime delegation's position on the talks.

The regime's SCC co-chair told Pedersen "his delegation will be ready to participate in the ninth session only when what he described as requests submitted by the Russian Federation are met", according to Bahra.

Moscow is a staunch regime ally and intervened militarily in Syria's war in 2015.

The UN confirmed the ninth session would be delayed in a statement issued on behalf on Pedersen on Saturday.

It said the talks, due to run from 25 to 29 July in Geneva, are "no longer possible" and that members of the SCC Small Body, the group of representatives that were due to participate, have been informed.

"The Special Envoy stresses the importance of all the stakeholders in this conflict protecting and firewalling the Syrian political process from their differences elsewhere in the world and encourages them to engage in constructive diplomacy on Syria," the UN statement read.

"The Special Envoy will continue to consult with all relevant parties and provide more information in due course."

The aid delivery mechanism across Turkey's border into northwestern Syria at the Bab al-Hawa crossing is the only way UN assistance can reach civilians without navigating areas controlled by Syrian regime forces https://t.co/ep3t63Fhbe

— The New Arab (@The_NewArab) July 12, 2022

US-based Syrian journalist Ayman Abdel Nour said Russia seeks to take the SCC's meetings out of Geneva, using alleged difficulties with the Swiss authorities as a pretext for this.

Abdel Nour said Russia has suggested alternative locations, but there were no UN regional offices or centres there.

Turkey wants the talks to remain under the UN umbrella and so suggested other cities where this is possible, including Nairobi, Vienna and The Hague, according to Abdel Nour.