Speaking on Swiss television station RTS, De Mistura said failure to make peace quickly through United Nations mediation could lead to “a fragmentation of Syria”.

“Convince the (Syrian) government that there is no time to lose.... You can think you win territory militarily but you have to win the peace. And to win the peace, you have to have the courage to push the government to accept that there has to be a new constitution and new elections, through the United Nations” De Mistura said.

De Mistura pointed out the complicated talks between the opposition and Syrian government and added: “The opposition told me clearly when they arrived here, and again yesterday and this morning too, that they are ready to meet the government right away to have a hard, difficult discussion. The government is not ready, it has said it is not ready to meet the opposition. That is regrettable but diplomacy has many means.”

De Mistura is mediating the talks between the opposition and Syrian government in Geneva, Switzerland. So far UN’s and De Mistura’s efforts to bring the sides together to achieve peace failed.