UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, left, arrives for a meeting with the Syrian government delegation during Syria peace talks at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday, May 19, 2017.

:: Syria’s Kurds should not be ignored, and their representatives must be allowed to take part in drafting the country’s new constitution, UN envoy on Syria Staffan de Mistura told RIA news agency in an interview published on Tuesday.

The United Nations has hosted two sets of technical talks on the constitution with the various Syrian opposition groups, in Lausanne, in recent weeks, Western diplomats say.

On Monday, de Mistura told a news conference that agreements to de-escalate the fighting in Syria could simplify the conflict and help to stabilize the country, but such accords must be an interim measure and avoid partition,

Speaking at the start of five days of peace talks in Geneva, de Mistura said discussions were being held in Amman to monitor implementation of a ceasefire for southwest Syria brokered by the United States and Russia, the first peacemaking effort of the war by the US government under President Donald Trump.