ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Syrian President Bashar Assad told a Russian delegation that talks over the formation of a joint committee for amending the current Syrian constitution “continue,” according to a readout from his office that claimed that the Russians “affirmed” their support for the regime’s ongoing offensive against rebels in Idlib.
Russian President’s Special Envoy to Syria Alexander Lavrentiev, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin were received by Assad in Damascus on Friday. Moscow has been a key backer of Assad and his Baath Party regime through the tail end of the conflict.
They “focused on ongoing efforts to make progress on the political track, especially in forming a committee for discussing the constitution and the mechanisms and procedures of its work,” stated a readout from Assad’s office.
During the meeting “there was agreement on continuing intensive work and coordination on the next steps to reach the desired results within the framework of the political process and prevention of countries which try to prolong terrorism war against Syria to make obstacles for this process,” added his office on Twitter.
Formation of a body to compose a post-war constitution Syria is a heated topic as the regime, the opposition, and the United Nations are at loggerheads over who shall be included on the committee. Each side desires to have one-third member representation.
The opposition insists on a new constitution for the war-town country while Assad has only agreed to make amendments to the current constitution that has been in place since February 2012 — adopted a few months after civil war broke out and has continued.
Geir Pedersen, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, came to the country this week and met with Assad. Both sides claimed progress in the formation of the committee.
"Pleased to be back in Damascus. Hopeful we can move the political process forward with the Constitutional Committee as a door opener, and that we can find a way to end the violence in Idlib. Continue work on detainees, abductees, and missing persons," Pedersen tweeted.
The call for a new constitution is not new as the opposition, including Kurds, have discussed the subject with foreign delegations and at events on Syria, particularly as the Islamic State (ISIS) has been defeated militarily over the past 18 months.
The agreement on the formation of the committee was first made in January 2018 at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia.
The 150-member committee is tasked with recommending amendments to the current constitution. The recommendations will be submitted to a consultation meeting later this year.
Kurdish demands in the constitution
Kurds, who make up about 10 percent of the Syrian population, want their rights guaranteed in the new or amended constitution.
Kurdish forces like the Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) and other forces affiliated with it control about one-third of Syria in the north and east. They have declared different forms of governance such as cantons and now the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (NES) — in addition to forming civil and military councils.
However, the YPG-linked groups have largely been left out of UN-led peace efforts and talks over constitution despite their good relations with the regime — primary due to Turkish opposition to the YPG. Ankara considers the group as the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
However, some Kurdish parties who oppose the YPG control in northern Syria or Rojava, have attended many of the talks as they are part of Syrian opposition with close support from Turkey.
They have gathered under the umbrella group Kurdish National Congress (ENKS) whose offices have often been closed by the ruling YPG and its political branch, the Democratic Union Party (PYD).
Kurds were not officially recognized by successive previous governments in the Syrian Arab Republic, depriving them of their Kurdish identity and minority rights. So, recognition and gaining rights are among their key demands in the constitution, if they are consulted.
Kurdish women held a workshop in late 2018 in Kurdish city of Qamishli, calling for them to play a greater role through the new constitution.
“We discussed in the workshop the need for the inclusion of women in the committee that will be set up to draft the constitution,” said Rohim Mustafa Bakir, who took part in the workshop at the time. “And we also highlighted what would be the role of women in the future Syria and for Kurdish women in particular.”