The main Syrian opposition called on major powers and the international community Saturday to help clinch a nationwide cease-fire in the coming months to pave the way for a political transition after nearly a decade of civil war in the country.

So as long as there are repeated military clashes and violence, "we will not see the political process moving fast," said Hadi al-Bahra, the co-chair of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, saying the responsibly lies with the international community.

"Their duty is to push for a full cease-fire in Syria," he said, noting that forces from Russia and the U.S. are in Syria as well as regional players such as Turkey and Iran.

Al-Bahra, speaking to reporters in Geneva after weeklong United Nations-sponsored talks, said, "When we see that happen, we will see the political process moving faster because all sides, they will know that there is no way for them to achieve a final victory on military terms."

"They (regional players) will not permit any victory for any one side. My expectation is that within the coming months we will see a complete, comprehensive cease-fire through all of Syria, that then we will see more international effort to move the political process forward to make it move faster," he added.

Delegations from the Syrian regime, opposition and civil society had met in Geneva for a third round of talks this week, following a long pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. Their goal is to work on a new constitution for the war-ravaged country.

'Disagreements' and 'commonalities'

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said that there were "many areas of disagreement," but also "quite a few areas of commonalities." "My hope is with continued calm on the ground ... we will also see some progress," he told a briefing.

Al-Bahra agreed. While "there were certain points of disagreements, ... I believe the commonalities were larger than the differences," he said.

But the latest round of discussions ended without even reaching an agreement on an agenda or date for the next session.

Pedersen, referring to a cease-fire brokered by Turkey and Russia in March in the last remaining opposition-held bastion of Idlib in northwest Syria, said it was "by and large holding" despite violations.

Pedersen said he had received a clear message from all sides that they were eager to meet again, which he said was "encouraging."

He acknowledged that the discussions, which marked the first U.N. attempt to resume in-person diplomatic negotiations in Geneva since the coronavirus forced the city to close down in March, got off to a difficult start.

Just hours after the talks began Monday, they had to be put on hold after four delegates tested positive for COVID-19.

The committee members – 15 each from the regime, the opposition and from civil society – were tested for the coronavirus before they traveled to Geneva and were tested again on arrival in the Swiss city. Some delegates tested positive in Geneva.

Pedersen, whose office decided to resume the talks Thursday afternoon after Swiss health authorities said it would safe to do so, said he believed the incident showed it was possible to move ahead with talks in a responsible manner.

"It is possible to handle even complicated cases as long as you strictly follow medical protocol and the advice you are receiving," he said.

"That is why we also hope that it will be possible to have the next round here in Geneva," he said.

The Syrian Constitutional Committee was created in September last year and first convened a month later, but disagreement over the agenda and the pandemic hindered further meetings until this week.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when the Bashar Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. After nine years of war, Assad controls some 70% of Syrian territory. The conflict has killed at least 380,000 people and displaced half of the country's pre-war population.

Turkey, Russia and Iran, the three guarantor countries of the Astana process, reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria in a joint statement Tuesday, underlining they were determined to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stand against separatist agendas aimed at undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria.

The Astana process was initiated by Turkey, Iran and Russia to bring the warring sides in Syria together to find a permanent solution to the nine-year-long war. The main agenda items have been the constitutional system, the political transition, security and resettlement. The first meeting of the Astana process was in Turkey in January 2017 to facilitate U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

Ankara, Moscow and Tehran hailed the gathering of the third meeting of the Constitutional Committee's Drafting Commission and demonstrated their readiness to back the committee's work through continuous interaction with the Syrian delegates and Pedersen as the facilitator to ensure its sustainable and effective functioning.

The statement concluded that Turkey, Russia and Iran were determined to hold the next international meeting on Syria in the Astana format as soon as possible.