Geneva, May 30, (dpa/GNA) - Constitutional reform and a reckoning of human rights crimes were on the agenda on Monday as members of the Syrian government and opposition returned to the negotiating table with a setlist of topics expected to occupy them for the working week.
This is the eighth round of talks, which have so far yielded few results, led by UN special envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. The long-term goal is to lay the groundwork for an eventual peace in Syria, which has been plagued by civil war for more than a decade.
Pedersen said the two sides had agreed that topics to discuss by Friday would include strengthening state institutions, the role of the constitution and the constitutionality of sanctions. There will also be a discussion about the best way to approach any investigation into allegations of human rights violations.
UN representatives have made multiple such allegations during the course of the country’s civil war.
The civil war grew out of anti-government protests that started in 2011 but quickly grew into fighting that covered almost the entire country and involved multiple factions. The government has achieved the upper hand across large parts of the country in recent years due to backing from Russia.
But those battlefield successes have made Damascus less interested in talking to the opposition, while the allegations of the linked human rights violations have made the opposition distrustful of the government, meaning the talks have seen minimal progress to date.
GNA