Syrian working groups to be launched soon

The visiting UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Monday that his proposed working groups to discuss solutions to the Syrian crisis are going to be launched soon.

"We are going to have the working groups launched. The groups are one of the aspects of the Vienna talks," Mistura told reporters.

The Swedish diplomat, however, stopped short of specifying when exactly the groups are going to be launched, saying that it apparently going to be the first step in the efforts to find a political solution to the stalemated Syrian crisis.

The Vienna talks ended last week, aiming to finding a "common ground" regarding the solution of the crisis, but the participants remained divided over the role of President Bashar al-Assad in the future of Syria.

Last month, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said the Syrian government agreed on the plan proposed by the UN special envoy to Syria, which calls for consultations and discussions with Syrian parties in four thematic working groups.

"Syria agrees to take part in the four working groups that have been proposed by Mistura after he affirmed (to the Syrian side) that the consultations are not binding but could be useful in launching a third round of talks in Geneva," according to al-Moallem.

In July, Mistura put forth the initiative before the UN Security Council, which calls for consultations and discussions with Syrian parties in four thematic working groups.

"The working Groups are intended to provide Syrians with a platform to address in-depth themes that are certainly not new, but have lacked to date sustained intra-Syrian discussion," he said in July.

He hoped the outcome of the discussions could eventually set the stage for a Syrian agreement to end the conflict on the basis of the Geneva Communique, which was agreed upon in 2012.

The Geneva Communique sets key steps for transition, including the establishment of a transitional governing body that includes members of the current government and the opposition, an inclusive national dialogue, and a review of the current constitution and legal system. 
  Xinhua -china.org.cn
3/11/15
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