UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres today hailed as a landmark the first meeting of a committee comprising Syrian government and opposition negotiators, tasked with amending the war-torn country’s Constitution.

The two sides sat face-to-face in Geneva for the launch of the constitutional review committee’s work yesterday.

At a Conference on mediation in Istanbul organised by the Turkish government, Mr Guterres said that the first meeting of the Constitutional Committee was a landmark, a foundation for progress. He expressed hope that this will be the first step towards a political solution that will end this tragic chapter in the lives of the Syrian people. He said, it will also be the step to create the opportunity for all Syrians to return to their places of origin, in safety and dignity, to end their status as refugees.

The United Nations-brokered committee includes 150 delegates divided equally among President Bashar al-Assad’s government, the opposition and civil society.