Russia’s draft of the new Syrian Constitution caused controversy worldwide. Some in the opposition said the Constitution should be written by Syrians themselves. Moscow declared that Russia is not imposing its draft on anyone.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov commented on the debates on Friday:
“The Opposition compared this draft to the Constitution which the United States imposed on Iraq. This is a very incorrect position, because in Iraq, the Constitution was imposed on the Iraqi people as an uncompromising text. In this case, we are talking about proposals that have been transferred for consideration by the Syrian sides themselves,” – he said to Russian agency TASS.
With his own words, the draft constitution generalizes the proposals of the Syrian government and opposition groups over the past years.
“The draft Constitution attempts to bring together and find shared points in those approaches that were outlined to us both by representatives of the government and representatives of the opposition, including all those present here, over the past several years,” Lavrov said.