UN envoy to Syria expects constitutional talks to resume

By ALBERT AJI
Associated Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The U.N. special envoy for Syria says he expects a committee representing the Syrian government and the opposition to resume talks next month over draft constitutional reforms. Geir Pedersen spoke to reporters in the capital Damascus on Wednesday after he met with Syrian officials over the country’s conflict. The talks were last held in Geneva in October when Pedersen said the Syrian government’s refusal to negotiate on revisions to the country’s constitution was a key reason for their failure. Syria’s conflict that began in March 2011, has killed half a million people and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 23 million.