Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem reiterated Damascus’ rejection of any foreign interference in the work of the constitutional committee or setting any timetable for it.
Interviewed by Russia Today TV Channel on Sunday on the sidelines of the 74th session of the UN General Assembly, al-Moallem affirmed that Syria doesn’t want to discuss ready-made constitution, but it wants to draft the constitution an article by an article, noting that the constitution will decide the future of Syria for the coming generations.
“When an article or two of any standing constitutions are amended, it becomes a new constitution that will be subjected to a referendum. We didn’t only speak about discussing the current constitution, and we also don’t exclude discussing a new constitution as these are the rules of procedures and they stipulate for that, and we are committed to them. Thereby, before going to a new constitution, we should discuss the current one which has witnessed a popular approbation after a referendum.”
“But if we don’t reach an agreement with the other side, we don’t mind discussing another constitution, but not a ready-made one,” al-Moallem elaborated, according to SANA news agency.
The top Syrian diplomat noted that the principles published by the UN General Secretariat on Saturday which were distributed among the Security Council’s member states are what Syria abides by and it doesn’t accept any breach of them as it considers that forming the constitutional committee is significant achievement for the Syrian people.
He added that setting a timetable makes the process of drafting the constitution hasty, “and it is well-known that the constitution draws the road of the future for the current and coming generations, therefore, we want a clear, careful and modern constitution and we don’t want to rush in drafting it.”
Regarding the situation in Idlib, the Syrian FM clarified that the Turkish regime hasn’t abide by its obligations according to the agreements of Astana and Sochi agreement as it continues to train and arm terrorists in a way that has allowed “Nusra Front” terrorist organization to impose control over 90 percent of the area of Idlib province which includes the largest gathering of foreign terrorists in the world whose states reject to receive them again.
Al-Moallem reiterated Syria’s determination to liberate Idlib and all the Syrian territories from terrorism and the illegitimate foreign presence.
On the other hand, he refuted the allegations of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on using chemical weapons by the Syrian Army in its war against terrorism, saying “The US is suffering from many internal problems due to the conflict between the republicans and the democrats and when the presidential elections and the Congress elections draw closer, these problems become deeper, therefore, the behaviors which it is trying to adopt in the international arena are an attempt to export its internal problems.”
Source: Agencies
