The United Nations special envoy for Syria said that the regime and opposition sides negotiating a constitution are "far from a political solution" to end the 11 years of conflict.
Geir O. Pedersen was speaking at the European Union’s 6th Brussels Conference on "supporting the future of Syria and the region" and said talks will resume in Geneva again at the end of May.
"As the conflict in Syria has developed over the past 11 years, we have witnessed suffering and abuses on an immense scale; a terrible violent conflict that went beyond all norms," Pedersen said.
It is a "humanitarian catastrophe that has devastated the lives of well over half the population; a displacement crisis on a scale with few comparisons," he added.
Pedersen said it is "a crisis of detention, abduction and the missing; an economic disaster that has immiserated millions of Syrians; the fragmentation of the country; and the continued threat of terrorism."
The U.N. envoy moderates talks aimed at securing peace in the war-torn country but said that displacement continues and only a few Syrians return as the economic crisis and violence continue, "with the constant risk of escalation – even if there is something of a military stalemate."
He said that Syrians have never needed the EU’s support more than they do right now.
"Over these years, my predecessors and I have continuously called for a nationwide cease-fire and a comprehensive Syrian-led and owned political solution – one that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people, that respects Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity," said Pedersen.
"But let me be frank. We are far from that political solution."
He said that the "Constitutional Committee’s Small Body," consisting of members of the regime, opposition, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), will meet again in Geneva at the end of this month.
The previous seven rounds have not brought about the results he would have liked, but he hoped that the upcoming round can at least bring some progress.
Pedersen said he has appealed to all members to approach the session with "a sense of compromise and constructive engagement" and focus on things on which Syrians can begin to agree.
"Of course, I hope that ultimately the committee can help establish a new social contract to help heal the wounds of a devastating conflict.
"But even were Syrians to agree on the substance of a constitutional reform or a new constitution, it could not unfold inside of Syria in a truly meaningful way, with conditions the way they are today," the U.N. envoy warned.
He said work is needed to establish a safe, calm, neutral environment inside Syria, starting with confidence-building measures, such as U.N. Security Council Resolution 2254 mandates.
Pedersen recently sent invitations to the Syrian regime and the opposition for the eighth round of talks starting in late May, aimed at revising the constitution of the conflict-torn country.
A 2012 U.N. road map to peace in Syria approved by representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League, the European Union, Turkey and all five permanent Security Council members calls for the drafting of a new constitution. It ends with U.N.-supervised elections with all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, eligible to participate. A Security Council resolution adopted in December 2015 unanimously endorsed the road map.
At a Russia-hosted Syrian peace conference in January 2018, an agreement was reached to form a 150-member committee to draft a new constitution. A smaller, 45-member body would do the actual drafting, including 15 members each from the regime, opposition and civil society. It took until September 2019 for the committee to be formed and little progress has been achieved so far.