The leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey announced Monday that they agreed to form a committee tasked with rewriting Syria’s constitution as part of a political solution to the country’s civil war, now in its ninth year.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told journalists at the end of the meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hasan Rouhani in the Turkish capital Ankara that the last hitches blocking the formation of the committee have been overcome.
The parties agreed on a constitutional committee — to be made up of pro-government, opposition and independent members — paving the way for speedy talks in Geneva, Putin told reporters.
Iran’s Hassan Rouhani said he hoped for elections to take place in Syria in 2020 or 2021.
The leaders also agreed to de-escalate the volatile situation in Idlib — the last remaining rebel stronghold in Syria — while combatting extremists and protecting civilians. A cease-fire that went into effect at the end of August has been holding despite some violations.
Monday’s talks were the fifth trilateral meeting among countries that stand on opposing sides of the conflict.
