UN Syria envoy urges constitution panel to act seriously

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.N.’s special envoy for Syria says he hopes that a committee representing the  government and the opposition will work with “a sense of seriousness and purpose” during the seventh round of talks this week over draft constitutional reforms. Geir Pedersen’s comments on Sunday came ahead of talks that are scheduled to last the week in Geneva. The talks that began more than two years ago were last held in October when Pedersen blamed the Syrian government for refusing to negotiate on revisions to constitution.