03 March 2017•Update: 05 March 2017
GENEVA / ANKARA
A non-paper from the office of UN Syria Special Envoy Steffan De Mistura called for "local self-administration" areas in Syria, Anadolu Agency learnt on Friday.
The document was shared with opposition and Syrian regime negotiators during peace talks in Geneva.
The non-paper called for "a state committed to national unity and the fair representation of localities in the state, provincial, and local self-administration."
It did not specify what exactly the term "local self-administration" meant.
It also reiterated the right of Syrians to choose their own future through democracy. "The Syrian people alone shall determine the future of their country by democratic means, through the ballot box, and shall have the exclusive right to choose their own political, economic and social system without external pressure or interference," it said.
It added: "Syria shall be a democratic and non-sectarian state based on citizenship, political pluralism, the rule of law, separation of powers, and judicial independence, the protection of national unity, recognition of cultural diversity of Syrian society."
Earlier in talks, De Mistura had mentioned UN Security Council's Resolution 2254 that called for the foundation of a fully authorized transitional government in Syria, elected by the consent of all sides; it also called on the government to prepare a new constitution and lead the country to elections. However, the non-paper did not make any reference to the UN resolution.
Moreover, it urged the "maintenance of a strong and unified national armed force" that acts in accordance with the constitution and the maintenance of intelligence and security institutions, to be realized in Syria's future.
The document also emphasized the need to form strong mechanisms to ensure respect for human rights and freedoms.
The non-paper also referred to Golan Heights that are currently under Israeli occupation.
"The people of Syria remain committed to the recovery of the occupied Syrian Golan by available lawful means," it said
The fourth Geneva talks on Syria started on Feb. 23 under UN watch.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and upwards of 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the UN. The Syrian Center for Policy Research puts the death toll at more than 470,000.
*Reporting by Muhammed Shekh Yusuf and Ayse Aktas; Writing by Fatih Hafiz Mehmet
