Talks on Syria in Kazakhstan expected to focus on forming constitutional committee

The 13th round of talks on Syria will likely focus on the formation of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, Xinhua reported citing local media.

The two-day talks starting here on Thursday will be joined by Iran, Turkey and Russia, as well as the representatives of the Syrian government and the opposition. UN Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Khawla Matar will also attend with a delegation, said the Kazakh Foreign Ministry a day earlier.

The talks will focus on forming a 150-member constitutional committee, a body designated to amend Syria's current constitution or draft a new one for post-war Syria. The new body is expected to consist of members from the Syrian government, the opposition, and civil society.

The talks will also touch upon the current situation in the northwestern Syibian province of Idlib, the last major stronghold held by rebels, and the fate of the resolutions and understandings reached between Turkey and Russia in that regard, Syria's pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported.

The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees will hold a sideline meeting on the release of detainees and hostages in Syria.

The process toward a peaceful settlement in Syria, known as the Astana process, was launched in January 2017 by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Astana, later renamed Nur-Sultan, to bring warring parties in the Syrian conflict to the table to find a political solution to the crisis.