GENEVA, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Geir Pedersen, UN special envoy for Syria, on Wednesday said that he intended to convene a meeting of the Constitutional Committee in Geneva on Oct. 30.

Speaking at a press conference at the European headquarters of the UN here, he said that "This is the first of its kind between the government and the opposition after eight and a half years of conflict. This was obviously an agreement that was long overdue."

Under an intra-Syrian agreement reached in Sochi, Russia in January 2018, the constitutional committee is to be composed of representatives of the Syrian government, the opposition and civil society representatives, each with 50 members.

"It is a unique opportunity for the Syrians themselves to come together and to work on the new constitutional arrangement for the Syrians," said the UN envoy.

The formation of the constitutional committee is considered a key element in the Syrian political process to end the eight-year civil war.