The UN special envoy for Syria said he held "successful" talks Monday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on forming a committee to draft a post-war constitution.

The UN special envoy for Syria said he held "successful" talks Monday with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem on forming a committee to draft a post-war constitution. "Today I have concluded another round of very successful discussions with Foreign Minister Moallem and we addressed all outstanding issues related to the constitutional committee," Geir Pedersen told reporters in Damascus. The diplomat said he also held "good discussions" with Nasr al-Hariri, the head of the Syrian Negotiation Commission opposition grouping. Syria's foreign ministry said the meeting with Pedersen was "positive and constructive", in a statement posted on its social media channels. The UN-backed push to form a constitutional committee has been bogged down by disagreements with President Bashar al-Assad's government over the makeup of body. Damascus hopes to amend the current constitution, while the opposition wants to write a new one from scratch. Last week, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said an agreement had been reached concerning the "the composition of the committee". The committee is to include 150 members -- a third picked by the regime, another by the opposition, and the remaining third by the United Nations. The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria on Monday decried its exclusion from the committee as "unjust", saying it undermined the principles of democracy. Besides its composition, the mechanisms that will govern the committee's work have yet to be agreed on, prompting fears among diplomats that concrete progress is still months away. According to the pro-Damascus daily Al-Watan, Pedersen could make a formal announcement on the constitutional committee at the UN General Assembly, which opens in New York this week.

UN envoy concludes Damascus talks on constitutional committee

Syria is ready to cooperate with new UN envoy Geir Pedersen as long as he avoids the methods of his predecessor, its deputy foreign minister said in remarks published Sunday.

Pedersen, who assumes the role at the end of November, is the fourth negotiator to have been appointed the UN's special envoy to Syria since the country's war broke out in 2011.

A seasoned Norwegian diplomat, he replaces Staffan de Mistura, who announced he is leaving the post last month after a four-year stint.

"Syria will cooperate with the new UN envoy Geir Pedersen provided he avoids the methods of his predecessor," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad said, quoted by Al-Watan newspaper.

It would work with him if "he announces his support for the unity of Syria's land and people and does not side with the terrorists as his predecessor did," he added, referring to rebel groups.

The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has long accused de Mistura of bias during his tenure.

Its opponents have said the change in UN envoy would have little impact on the fate of the country as international will and consensus were lacking.

Yahya al-Aridi, spokesman for the Syrian Negotiations Commission, this week told AFP he hoped Pedersen would be "more decisive" and call things out for what they are.

De Mistura, an Italian-Swedish diplomat, announced he was stepping down to spend more time with his family after four years in the demanding post.

He had been appointed in July 2014 after veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi resigned following two years in the position.

Brahimi stepped in after late UN chief Kofi Annan quit just six months into the role which he described as "mission impossible".

Pedersen was a member of the Norwegian team to the secret negotiations that led to the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians.

Syria is ready to cooperate with new UN envoy Geir Pedersen as long as he avoids the methods of his predecessor, its deputy foreign minister said in remarks published Sunday.

Syria is ready to cooperate with new UN envoy Geir Pedersen as long as he avoids the methods of his predecessor, its deputy foreign minister said in remarks published Sunday. Pedersen, who assumes the role at the end of November, is the fourth negotiator to have been appointed the UN's special envoy to Syria since the country's war broke out in 2011. A seasoned Norwegian diplomat, he replaces Staffan de Mistura, who announced he is leaving the post last month after a four-year stint. "Syria will cooperate with the new UN envoy Geir Pedersen provided he avoids the methods of his predecessor," Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad said, quoted by Al-Watan newspaper. It would work with him if "he announces his support for the unity of Syria's land and people and does not side with the terrorists as his predecessor did," he added, referring to rebel groups. The regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has long accused de Mistura of bias during his tenure. Its opponents have said the change in UN envoy would have little impact on the fate of the country as international will and consensus were lacking. Yahya al-Aridi, spokesman for the Syrian Negotiations Commission, this week told AFP he hoped Pedersen would be "more decisive" and call things out for what they are. De Mistura, an Italian-Swedish diplomat, announced he was stepping down to spend more time with his family after four years in the demanding post. He had been appointed in July 2014 after veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi resigned following two years in the position. Brahimi stepped in after late UN chief Kofi Annan quit just six months into the role which he described as "mission impossible". Pedersen was a member of the Norwegian team to the secret negotiations that led to the signing of the 1993 Oslo accords between Israel and the Palestinians.

Ready to cooperate with new UN envoy: Syria

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UN envoy concludes Damascus talks on constitutional committee

Ready to cooperate with new UN envoy: Syria