Syria talks to be held in Vienna next week

A special meeting on Syria with representation from the regime and opposition will be held next week, the UN said Wednesday.

The meeting at the International Vienna Center in Vienna, Austria will draw discussions on constitutional issues, according to a statement.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special envoy for Syria, has sent separate invitations to delegations of the Syrian regime and the unified opposition, Syrian Negotiation Commission.

The special envoy added that he expects the delegations to come "prepared for substantive engagement with him".

The meeting will be held within the framework of the UN-facilitated Geneva political process on Jan. 25-26, the statement added.