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Assad, Russian diplomats discuss Syria constitutional committee

Saturday, 13 July 2019 8:43 AM [ Last Update: Saturday, 13 July 2019 10:34 AM ]

In this handout picture released by the Syria's official SANA news agency, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) meets with Russian presidential special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev in Damascus on July 12, 2019. (Via AFP)

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has discussed with two Russian diplomats the formation of a constitutional committee as the war against the foreign-backed terrorists is winding down in the Arab country.

Assad held talks with Russian presidential special envoy for Syria Alexander Lavrentiev and Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin in Damascus on Friday.

Syria’s official SANA news agency reported that the meeting focused on “the continuous efforts to make progress on the political track, especially in forming a committee for discussing the Constitution and the mechanisms and procedures of its work.”

President Assad, Lavrentiev and Vershinin also agreed “to continue working extensively and coordinating on the next steps” and stressed the importance of not allowing certain countries to hinder the process, the report said.

The discussions, it added, also dealt with the latest developments in the war on foreign-backed terrorism and strategic relations between Moscow and Damascus.

The Russian delegation reaffirmed its support for the Syrian army in retaliating against Takfiri terrorist attacks in northwestern Idlib Province, according to the SANA report.

The delegation further backed Syria’s right to defend its citizens, preserve the country’s territorial integrity and cleanse it from terrorism, it noted.

Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Friday’s meeting in Damascus “focused on efforts towards the soonest completion of the formation of the Constitutional Committee” in Syria as well as the situation in Idlib.

Russia has been targeting positions held by Western-sponsored terrorist groups inside Syria at the government’s request since September 2015.

The airstrikes have helped Syrian forces advance against anti-Damascus terrorists, who have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country since 2011.

A Syrian government soldier walks past mortar shells in Qala'at al-Madiq, Hama Province, on May 17, 2019. (Photo by AFP)

100 killed in northwestSyria clashes

In another development on Friday, the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that more than 100 people have been killed in fierce clashes between Syrian government troops and anti-Damascus terrorists in northwestern Syria since Wednesday evening.

The clashes centered on Idlib, the militants’ last remaining bastion in Syria, the UK-based observatory added.

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