GENEVA (AP) — The outgoing U.N. envoy for Syria is appealing on the country's warring sides to form a committee that would negotiate a new constitution as a way of bringing the Mideast nation out of its protracted civil war.
Staffan de Mistura says there are disagreements over a "few names" of those who would be on that committee. He says "agreement, particularly on the side of the government" of President Bashar Assad was needed.
De Mistura told reporters on Friday that his Dec. 20 briefing to the U.N. Security Council could be his last. He had originally planned to leave in November.
De Mistura appeared alongside China's special envoy Xie Xiaoyan and said he was seeking Chinese help to convince Syria's government that it's "worth it to make an effort."
