Geneva talks on Syria’s political future to reconvene on November 25 – UN envoy

UN envoy Geir Pedersen concluded an opening round of talks on the political future of Syria on Friday meant to bring reconciliation, saying they went better than expected and would reconvene later this month.

Discussions were “very painful” at times, Pedersen said, adding that the delegates to the Constitutional Committee from the government, opposition and civil society addressed them with professionalism.

“I believe it has gone much better than most people would have expected,” Reuters quoted him as saying in Geneva. The next round of discussions will start on November 25, the envoy added.

The discussions focused on issues of sovereignty, territorial integrity and terrorism. There was no immediate deal on the release of thousands of detainees in the country, one of the points that Pedersen had previously said was an important step needed to build confidence between the parties.