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GENEVA / SYRIA DE MISTURA
STORY: GENEVA / SYRIA DE MISTURA
TRT: 03:26
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 30 NOVEMBER 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
30 NOVEMBER 2017, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations exterior
2. Wide shot, Press Room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
"We have been, and we intend to, discuss and raise with both sides all four baskets, but in particular the two ones which we have been referring to and which we have been supported by all these meetings to address to: constitutional process and UN supervised elections.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“We have not discussed the issue of presidency. We have been discussing the 12 principles, and you will see they are of a broad nature but they have an impact on everything in the future constitution; and we have started addressing the issue about how to proceed on a new constitution. So that issue has not even come up. I want to believe that that issue should come up with the Syrians through UN supervised elections according to 2254.”
6. Close up, hands typing
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
"What we have been thinking about is actually allowing any delegation during this weekend, and I think the government will do so, to actually return home, consult, refresh, and come back next week around Tuesday in order to retake again the same round of discussions so that we go through the 12 points, the constitutional process, and the election aspect; and do so until the 15th of December.”
8. Med shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
"There is always a discussion between opposition and the government, so opinions is one thing, preconditions is a completely different thing. So, we are asking and I am insisting and so far it has been respected, no preconditions about anything that we will be discussing. Of course, nothing is agreed until everything is agreed and everybody knows that.”
10. Med shot, journalists
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
"Today we did share with them our own thoughts and our own understanding of some commonalities that exist in fact between them about what could be a shared future vision of Syria. They are important. You know why? Because they might guide the drafting of a new constitution and actually be an entry point for genuine reconciliation discussions.”
12. Wide shot, journalists
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“It is true that it is always very good to have direct dialogue, but for a mediator what matters is the substance. We have had plenty of negotiations in the past in history, when in fact it took only the last two meetings of the whole agreement that they actually sat with each other. What is more important is actually being able to interact between the two on the substantive things.”
14. Various shots, journalist
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the issue of the presidency did not come up in the intra-Syrian talks going on in Geneva adding that he wants “to believe that that issue should come up with the Syrians through UN supervised elections.”
Speaking to reporters today (30 Nov) in Geneva on the side-lines of the 8th round of talks, de Mistura said discussions were still at the beginning but were not just a normal round of talks. He said discussions with the government and opposition delegations will revolve around a new constitution for Syria, “UN supervised elections”, and 12 core principles which he declined to enumerate.
SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“We have not discussed the issue of presidency. We have been discussing the 12 principles, and you will see they are of a broad nature but they have an impact on everything in the future constitution; and we have started addressing the issue about how to proceed on a new constitution. So that issue has not even come up. I want to believe that that issue should come up with the Syrians through UN supervised elections according to 2254.”
Asked what guarantees he could offer about the outcome of this eighth round of intra-Syria talks in Geneva, de Mistura pointed to the heavens, saying that it was the only place where such a thing could be found. Nonetheless the Special Envoy reiterated the international community’s wish to see an end to the conflict.
De Mistura also announced an extension of the talks until mid-December.
SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
"What we have been thinking about is actually allowing any delegation during this weekend, and I think the government will do so, to actually return home, consult, refresh, and come back next week around Tuesday in order to retake again the same round of discussions so that we go through the 12 points, the constitutional process, and the election aspect; and do so until the 15th of December.”
The Special Envoy said he insisted to the parties that there be no preconditions “about anything” discussed, adding that so far this has been respected. He said the fact that the warring parties were still not meeting in the same room was by no means a deal-breaker.
SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“It is true that it is always very good to have direct dialogue, but for a mediator what matters is the substance. We have had plenty of negotiations in the past in history, when in fact it took only the last two meetings of the whole agreement that they actually sat with each other. What is more important is actually being able to interact between the two on the substantive things.”
De Mistura said his team shared its thoughts with the delegations on its “understanding of some commonalities that exist in fact between them about what could be a shared future vision of Syria.” He said these commonalities are important because “they might guide the drafting of a new constitution and actually be an entry point for genuine reconciliation discussions.”
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