The new UN envoy tasked with forging peace in Syria hopes to convene a constitutional committee in Geneva "as soon as possible", he said on Friday, seeing it "as a potential door-opener for the political process."
Formation of a constitutional committee is key to political reforms and new elections meant to unify Syria and end an almost eight-year-old war.
Geir Pedersen said he also had ideas about how to build trust and confidence between the two sides, who have previously attended nine rounds of largely fruitless talks as the war rumbled on.
"I think we have identified the challenges and we have agreed on how we should move forward and that I see as a very, very positive sign," Pedersen told reporters in Geneva. "My hope (is) that they will be able as soon as possible to have the constitution committee to meet in Geneva."
Syria's opposition last year agreed to join a process of rewriting the constitution under UN auspices following a peacemaking conference in the Russian city of Sochi. But the head of the regime, Bashar al-Assad, has objected to the world body naming members of the committee.
Pedersen said he could not be more specific about the timeframe for a meeting of the committee, but he said his discussions with relevant parties were good.
The envoy said the committee needs to work "in parallel" on other issues. He cited governance, UN-supervised elections, refugees, internally displaced Syrians, humanitarian challenges, reconstruction, detainees and missing persons.
He said he stressed to the parties and their supporters during his recent travels that "confidence-building is needed," cease-fires must be respected, terrorism must be fought and only a negotiated solution to the conflict is possible.
