UN envoy to hold talks with Iran, Russia, Turkey on Syria constitutional panel

The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, plans talks with Iran, Russia and Turkey in September to start finalizing the composition of the body intended to draft a new Syrian constitution, according to a statement published on Tuesday in Geneva. The envoy, attending two-day talks with the three powers in Russia, has received lists from the Syrian government and opposition on proposed candidates for the Constitutional Committee, Reuters reports. The envoy “looks forward to holding formal consultations… very early in September in Geneva, in order to begin to finalize the constitutional committee,” the statement said.