French FM: Syria peace process should begin under UN in Geneva, not Sochi

France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday that a peace process for Syria should take place under UN auspices in Geneva and not under Russia in the Black Sea resort of Sochi where a Syrian congress began earlier in the day.

"The resolution of this crisis will happen urgently through a solution under United Nations auspices in Geneva. France has that as an immediate objective. It's not happening in Sochi, it must happen in Geneva," Le Drian told lawmakers.

The Russian-sponsored conference on reaching peace in Syria agreed to create constitutional committee which will work in Geneva, TASS news agency cited Russia's Foreign Ministry Sergei Lavrov as saying on Tuesday.

The committee will include those groups that were not attending the peace conference hold in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, Lavrov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a news conference following the talks with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in Moscow, Russia December 22, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov