<span style="color: #222222;">A 150-strong Syrian constitutional committee is meeting for the first time in Geneva today under UN auspices to chart a political settlement to end the eight-and-a-half-year civil war.<br />''</span><br />''The aim of the meeting is to agree on a new constitution for Syria, but it is unclear if this will mean redrafting the existing constitution, written in 2012, or starting from scratch.<br />''<br />''<span style="color: #222222;">The meeting is a key proposal from Moscow in Geneva is being overseen by the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen. No deadline has been set for the end of talks, but Pedersen has said all sides had promised to work expeditiously. </span><br />