Al-Watan learned from Western diplomatic sources in Geneva that the fourth round of the Constitutional Committee will begin on Nov. 30, 2020, provided that the participating delegations arrive two days ahead to get tested for coronavirus.
The round, which had been scheduled for Nov. 23, 2020, was postponed for a week due to the fact that Geneva is under complete lockdown through to the end of the month due to the coronavirus. The source said that the new date, Nov. 30, 2020, is also subject to the approval of the Swiss authorities.
The sources said that this round will discuss national principles, and will span the course of five days, and may be the last this year, with the upcoming rounds resuming in early 2021.
Special Envoy Geir Pedersen visited Damascus on Oct. 25, 2020, and held a lengthy meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Walid al-Muallem, and two meetings with co-Chair of the Constitutional Committee, Ahmed al-Kuzbari. He also met the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Syria.
According to Al-Watan’s sources, Pedersen’s visit reignited the political negotiation process and paved the way for the next round of negotiations.
During his meeting with the head of the national delegation, Pedersen presented a proposal to solve the recent problem with the agenda of the fourth round that was not held on Nov 5, 2020. Kuzbari informed Pedersen of the delegation’s approval of the envoy’s proposal, and it was agreed that Nov. 30, 2020, would be the date to hold the next round.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
