The Syrian Government Admits That The Civil War Has Reached A Stalemate

Smoke rises from behind a building in Jobar, Damascus. The Syrian conflict has lasted two years and left 100,000 people dead. Photograph: Reuters

Syrian Government Says Civil War Has Reached Stalemate -- The Guardian

Exclusive: Deputy PM says neither side is strong enough to win and government will call for ceasefire at Geneva talks.

The Syrian civil war has reached a stalemate and President Bashar al-Assad's government will call for a ceasefire at a long-delayed conference in Geneva on the state's future, the country's deputy prime minister has said in an interview with the Guardian.

Speaking on behalf of the government, Qadri Jamil said that neither side was strong enough to win the conflict, which has lasted two years and caused the death of more than 100,000 people. Jamil, who is in charge of country's finances, also said that the Syrian economy had suffered catastrophic losses.

"Neither the armed opposition nor the regime is capable of defeating the other side," he said. "This zero balance of forces will not change for a while."

Meanwhile, he said, the Syrian economy had lost about $100bn (£62bn), equivalent to two years of normal production, during the war.

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My Comment: No one else in the media is reporting on this story .... but this is a Guardian exclusive. We will update this story as more news reports come in.