Roundup: Syrian talks in Sochi create committee to discuss revising constitution

DAMASCUS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- A committee was formed at the Syrian peace talks held in Russia's Sochi on Tuesday, with an aim to discuss revision of the current Syrian constitution.

The committee is formed by 150 government loyalists and opposition figures attending the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in the Russian Black Sea resort city, Syria's State TV reported.

Ahmad al-Kuzbari, a Syrian parliamentarian and a participant in the conference in Sochi, said the committee formed will discuss revision of the current constitution, rather than drafting a new one.

"The members of this committee will sit together to discuss whether there are points in need of any reforms, amendments, or additions, and then they will submit these proposals later to the chairmanship of the Sochi congress," al-Kuzbari said at a press conference in Sochi.

Al-Kuzbari noted that any constitutional amendments or additions will be subject to a referendum in Syria. "Nothing will happen unless under the provisions of the current constitution, which the people voted on in 2012," he said.

The formation of the committee is a part of several items included in the final statement of the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, where 1,600 figures were invited by Moscow as part of the Russian efforts to advance a political solution to end Syria's seven-year conflict.

The final statement affirmed respect and full commitment to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria.

"No part of the national territory can be abandoned," said the statement, adding that the Syrian people remain committed to the restoration of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights by all legal means in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and the international law.

The statement stressed that only the Syrian people have the right to decide the future of their own country through democratic means.

They have the exclusive right to choose their political, economic and social system without any pressure or external intervention, it said.

The statement also stressed on "preserving the Syrian army that performs its duties in accordance with the constitution, including protecting the borders and the Syrian citizens from external threats, as well as combating terrorism wherever it is found."

The statement affirmed the full rejection of all forms of terrorism, fanaticism, extremism and religious discrimination, and commitment to combating them effectively.

The Sochi congress did not touch upon the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, constituting a slap to the document presented by the U.S. and its Western allies during the recent Syrian talks in Vienna. The Western powers demanded for decentralizing the rule in the country by stripping the presidency of key powers and rebuilding the Syrian army.

The Western powers attempted to derail the talks in Sochi by holding the Vienna talks on Thursday and presenting their document, which was rejected by the Syrian government delegation which blasted the West for plotting to hinder the political solution in Syria.

France also raised the issue of Syria's use of chemical weapons and accused Russia of shielding the Syrian government, which it claimed carried out chemical attacks in the battles against the rebels.

Also, the Saudi Arabian-backed Syrian National Council announced they were boycotting the Sochi talks, dealing a blow to the Russian efforts.

Earlier Tuesday, reports emerging from Russia said that some opposition figures refused to enter the hall of the airport in Sochi because the Syrian official flag was hoisted there.

The opposition figures eventually returned to Turkey and didn't take part in the talks.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated on Tuesday that only the Syrian people have the right to self-determination, adding that Syria, backed by the Russian aerospace forces, was able to destroy the terrorist organizations.

He said that now all appropriate circumstances are ensured to end the crisis in Syria.

In his message to the participants in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, which was read out by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Putin indicated that this congress could unite all spectrums of the Syrian people.

The Russian-sponsored Sochi conference is deemed as a supporting political track to the Geneva peace talks, which have so far failed to reach a settlement of the Syrian crisis. Enditem