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NEW YORK, New York – The latest so-called Syrian peace talks, held a little over 3 weeks ago, broke down, the UN Security Council learned on Friday.

The second session of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, held in Geneva at the end of last month didn’t even get started because of arguments over the agenda.

“When I last briefed this council, we had just concluded a successful opening session of the Constitutional Committee. This second session was obviously very different in both substance and tone, but disagreement on the agenda is typical for any political process,” the UN Special Envoy for Syria told the Security Council on Friday.

The envoy had asked the two co-chairs of the meeting to submit their agenda proposals prior the second session, which began on 25 November.

The opposition’s workplan, sent on 21 November, featured 10 constitutional headings and focused on the preamble to the constitution, as well as basic principles.

The government proposed an agenda on the day of the meeting which called for discussion of “national pillars” of concern to the Syrian people. Constitutional matters it proposed would only be taken up afterwards.

Mr. Pedersen said he tried to reach a consensus between the sides, but it was impossible.

“As things stand, and absent an agreed agenda, I see no reason to convene another session of the small body,” he said.

The November meeting was attended by 45 of the one hundred and fifty representatives of the talks, which was intended. The “small committee” was expected to reach consensus on issues such as the constitution to pave the way for a meeting where all participants would take part.

“This means that all issues are open for discussion within the committee, without preconditions and without making consideration of one issue dependent on resolution of another,” Pedersen said. “And it also means that issues should be framed and fall under a constitutional heading.”

The outcome of the second session only underscores the need for a broader and comprehensive political process for Syria, said the envoy.

“Indeed, while I believe that while a Constitutional Committee cannot solve the crisis, it can help foster the trust and confidence between the parties, and that can open the door to a broader process, and, equally, such a broader process can feed positively into the work on the constitutional issues.

Syria has been engulfed in a brutal civil and regional conflict since 2011 during which an estimated five hundred thousand people have been killed, and more than a million more have been injured. The war has also seen millions of Syrians uprooted from their homes and seeking refuge in neighboring countries in the Middle East and Europe.

During the conflict, Islamic State took advantage of the upheaval by occupying many parts of the country. The conflict has also become a proxy war between Israel and Iran, with the former engaging directly in military strikes, and the latter supporting the Syrian regime through it’s affiliation with the Lebanese resistance group Hezbollah, whose fighters have been taking part directly.

(Photo credit: Yasin Akgul).