UN envoy hopes new Syrian peace talks will build confidence

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen on Friday said that he wishes the upcoming Syrian peace talks in Geneva are handled correctly to build confidence and bring hope to the Syrian people.

"We need to see progress when it comes to abductees, to detainees and we need information on missing persons. This I think could perhaps be the one key important development that could help to build trust and confidence and I repeat my strong appeal to the parties on this again," he said at a press conference in Geneva.

On August 24, the Syrian Constitutional Committee will reconvene at the Palais des Nations, the home of the United Nations Office at Geneva, under the auspices of the United Nations for the third time, Xinhua news agency reported.

The UN Envoy told reporters that a nationwide ceasefire and efforts to improve the economic situation during the COVID-19 pandemic will also be important topics for the future peace talks.

According to him, during the upcoming talks in Geneva, representatives from Russia, Iran and Turkey, as well as the United States, may also come to push forward the process.

"But let me emphasize that the Constitutional Committee is of course, the work of that, is completely independent," he noted.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee, which comprises representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society, was officially launched in Geneva on October 30, 2019, and then held two rounds of sessions in November last year, without making any major progress.