Mistura is putting final touches ‎to ‎arrangements for Geneva ‎

Syria peace talks due to start this week in ‎Geneva are based on the broad mandate of a ‎UN resolution that asks the UN mediator to ‎hold talks on a "political transition process", an ‎official involved in the talks said on Tuesday.‎

In the interim, the team of the UN Syria envoy ‎said that the names of the delegation ‎members are not finished.  ‎

Last week the United Nations appeared to ‎back away from using the phrase "political ‎transition", which is understood by the ‎opposition to mean a removal of Bashar Assad or at least an erosion of his ‎powers.‎

Michael Contet, chief of staff of Special Envoy ‎for Syria Staffan de Mistura, told a regular UN ‎briefing that de Mistura was putting the final ‎touches to arrangements for the talks.‎

‎"The invitations as well as the substantive ‎agenda for the negotiations are all based on ‎the wide scope of Security Council resolutions, ‎in particular (U.N. Security Council Resolution) ‎‎2254, which is our main guidance in this ‎process.‎

‎"The second operative paragraph of 2254 ‎requests the special envoy to convene formal ‎negotiations on the political transition ‎process."‎

The talks would revolve around three sets of ‎issues, which 2254 mandates de Mistura to ‎mediate on: establishment of a credible, ‎inclusive and non-sectarian governance; a ‎process for drafting a new constitution; and ‎free and fair elections under UN supervision.