GENEVA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- No side can claim to have won the Syrian civil war and that is why now is the time for both sides to talk, said United Nations (UN) Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura here on Wednesday.
Speaking to journalists after meeting with a humanitarian task force on Syria in Geneva, de Mistura said the next phase of the peace process for Syria would take place at talks in Astana, Kazakhstan next week where he will be present.
"Facts are proving that the opposition has not won the war," said the UN envoy. "And now it is time to win the peace."
His answer was in response when being asked if the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad had won the six-year conflict that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The UN says that in addition, the war has led to 6.1 million internally-displaced people and 4.8 million seeking refuge abroad.
De Mistura said that history would judge who had won the war. "I don't think anyone can claim to have won the war...The victory can only be when there is a political, long-term solution."
In order to accelerate the political process, there may be discussions at the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York before talks in October involving the Syrian government and the opposition, according to the envoy.
De Mistura added he and his team planned to move forward and "have serious negotiation between the government and the opposition in a re-calibrated way."
"We want peace finally. We want political stability. We do not want violence. We are not far from that," said de Mistura, adding that Islamic State (IS) was the common enemy and must not be tolerated.
