UN chief announces creation of Syria constitutional committee

WASHINGTON-Anadolu Agency

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced on Sept. 23 the formation of a body to write a new constitution for Syria following more than eight years of war devastated the country and its population.

The constitutional committee will convene in the upcoming weeks, according to the UN chief.

"I am pleased to announce the agreement of the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Syrian Negotiations Commission for a credible, balanced and inclusive Constitutional Committee that will be facilitated by the UN in Geneva," Guterres said during the 74th General Assembly in New York.

Syria has been gripped by conflict since 2011 when demonstrations seeking democratic reforms were fiercely cracked down on by the Syrian regime.

More than half a million people have died in the ensuing conflict and millions more have been displaced as large swaths of Syria have been reduced to rubble.