Russian FM: Roster of Syrian Constitutional Commission Outlined

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The composition of the Syrian Constitutional Commission, set up at the National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, has been outlined, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said.

"Now the issues related to the Constitution are being once again transferred to Geneva. The composition of the relevant commission has been determined in general terms," Ryabkov said in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper.

Russia, Turkey and Iran proposed 50 candidates for membership of the commission each. UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will select some 45-50 people to form the commission.

The Syrian National Dialogue Congress was held in Russia's Sochi on Tuesday. It brought together some 1,400 delegates from the Syrian government and various opposition groups who agreed to form a Constitutional Commission in Geneva to amend the existing Syrian constitution.

The final communique of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi includes 12 principles for the Syrian crisis settlement that were worked out within the UN-backed Geneva process.

The issue of the new Syrian constitution has long been on the agenda of all major platforms for the Syrian crisis settlement. The UN-backed negotiations in Geneva focus on the four so-called baskets: constitution, elections, governance and counterterrorism.