GENEVA / PEDERSEN SYRIA CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE WRAP

STORY: GENEVA / PEDERSEN SYRIA CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE WRAP
TRT: 2:48
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 OCTOBER 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

SHOTLIST:

17 OCTOBER 2021, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

1. Close up, Palais des Nations exterior
2. Wide shot, Pedersen at dais
3. Wide shot, Pedersen at dais and on screen
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“For the first time, the two co-chairs – the one nominated by the government and the other nominated by the opposition - were sitting down together with me for a substantial and frank discussion on how we are to proceed with the constitutional reform, and indeed in detail how we are planning for the week ahead of us.”
5. Wide shot, Pedersen at dais
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“The Syrian constitutional committee is an important contribution to the political process, but the committee in itself will not be able to solve the Syrian crisis. So, we need to come together, do serious work on the constitutional committee, but also address the other aspects of the Syrian crisis.”
7. Wide shot, Pedersen at dais
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“I think I would describe it as serious, and frank, and that they were committed to the principles that we agreed on beforehand. So, I’m hoping that we will be able to continue the meeting in the same spirit.”
9. Wide shot, videographers at back of press room
10. Close up, sign meeting room switching from English to French
11. Med shot, Pedersen in meeting room
12. Close up, UN flag on screen
13. Close up, Hadi al-Bahra, co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee nominated by opposition
14. Med shot, meeting between UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen, UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Khawla Matar, Co-chair of Syria’s opposition Hadi al-Bahra and Ahmad Kuzbari, co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee nominated by government
15. Pan right, Ahmad Kuzbari, Co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee nominated by the government, to UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen
16. Med shot, meeting group
17. Tracking, Pedersen greeting members of civil society, the so-called “middle third”
18. Wide shot, Pedersen walking to dais
19. Med shot, Pedersen taking seat at dais
20. Close up, Pedersen
21. Wide shot, members of civil society arriving room
22. Wide shot, room with civil society participants
23. Close up, cell phone with meeting in background
24. Wide shot, UN flag alley with car arriving

STORYLINE:

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen described the first meeting between the two Co-chairs of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee as “serious and frank” and hoped to continue meetings over the next week in the “same spirit.”

The two Co-chairs, Ahmad Kuzbari of the Syrian government side and Hadi al-Bahra from the Syrian opposition, met today (17 Oct) with Pedersen at the United Nations in Geneva.

They prepared the upcoming sixth session of the Small Body of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, set to start on Monday. This is the first such meeting since the starting of the Constitutional Committee.

The current sixth round is to discuss the proposals of the basic principles of the constitution in accordance with the agreed methodology based on three pillars that formed the basis of the Special Envoy’s engagement with them: respect for the Terms of Reference and Core Rules of Procedure; the submission of texts of basic constitutional principles in advance of the meetings; and regular Co-Chair meetings with Pedersen before and during the coming session. The Co-Chairs are also committed to setting provisional dates for future meetings and discussing a workplan.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting, Pedersen said after nine months of negotiations with the parties trying to establish consensus on a way to move forward, this consensus was finally reach and the two co-chairs agreed not only to prepare but start drafting for constitutional reform.

He said, “For the first time, the two co-chairs – the one nominated by the government and the other nominated by the opposition - were sitting down together with me for a substantial and frank discussion on how we are to proceed with the constitutional reform, and indeed in detail how we are planning for the week ahead of us.”

Pedersen also met with the so-called ‘middle third’ of the drafting committee – the 15 members representing the civil society among the 45-member body. He appealed to the drafting committee to start the process and work as agreed.

The Special Envoy said Syria has witness relative calm since March, with the emphasis on relative as civilian casualties are reported daily. He said the country is facing an extremely difficult economic and humanitarian situation with more than 13 million Syrians in need of humanitarian assistance and 90 percent of the population living under the poverty line.

He said, “The Syrian constitutional committee is an important contribution to the political process, but the committee in itself will not be able to solve the Syrian crisis. So, we need to come together, do serious work on the constitutional committee, but also address the other aspects of the Syrian crisis.”
Asked about his assessment of the first direct meeting between the co-Chairs, Pedersen said, “I think I would describe it as serious, and frank, and they were committed to the principles that we agreed on beforehand. So, I’m hoping that we will be able to continue the meeting in the same spirit.” The Special Envoy said he would not pre-judge the outcome of the week ahead and hoped the meetings would deliver on the promises agreed upon.