UN: Syria government, opposition to begin drafting charter

BEIRUT (AP) — The UN’s envoy for Syria has announced that the Syrian government and opposition have agreed to start drafting constitutional reforms for the war-torn country. The move will be a major step, after a nine-month hiatus and several rounds without progress. Geir Pedersen did not say what was behind the agreement or offer details of what comes next. The drafting sessions formally begin Monday.  He met Sunday with the co-chairs of the committee from the government side and the opposition, who sat together for the first time, to discuss how to proceed and the plans for the week ahead.