Syrian official: 'We have already won' By Frederik Pleitgen and Jim Kavanagh, CNN February 14, 2013 -- Updated 1603 GMT (0003 HKT) A member of Bashar al-Assad's government declares the rebellion has failed The rebels' vow to take Damascus hasn't materialized, deputy foreign minister says However, battles continue in the capital's southern suburbs Faisal al-Maqdad says the al-Assad regime would welcome negotiations Damascus, Syria (CNN) -- As both sides in Syria's bloody civil war claimed advances, one high-ranking member of President Bashar al-Assad's regime expressed confidence in ultimate victory. Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Maqdad, in an interview Wednesday, said the battle is going very well for the regime. We are winning. We have already won," al-Maqdad told CNN's Frederik Pleitgen. You are in Damascus, you are aware of what is happening around Damascus. (The rebels) threatened to have Damascus more than one year ago, and they are not there. We are still here. Rebel leaders and fighters see it differently. A suicide attack at a regime military facility left at least 20 soldiers dead this week in Homs, and just last week government forces were using artillery and planes against rebels in the capital's southern suburbs. The opposition activist organization Local Coordination Committees of Syria said 136 people were killed in war-related violence across Syria on Tuesday, including 47 in Damascus and its suburbs, and 32 in Aleppo. CNN cannot independently verify those figures. The rebels last weekend claimed to have launched an offensive against the capital. The regime denies it is under siege. In the western town of Tal Kalakh, bullets have stopped flying. But it's not because either side has won, it's because they've battled to a draw and have entered into a wobbly cease-fire. The United Nations on Tuesday estimated 70,000 people have died in almost two years of fighting. The regime would welcome the opportunity to begin negotiating a broader peace, al-Maqdad told CNN. "We hope that those who are willing to stop the destruction of Syria come to the national dialogue without conditions to sit together as Syrians and their Syrian leadership and sort out our problems together," he said. When asked if al-Assad would give up power if he were voted out, al-Maqdad said, "Absolutely, but I assure you at least he still enjoys a majority in Syria." Al-Maqdad defended the regime's shelling, calling it a reaction to the opposition's violence. "This is not our option," he said. This is the option they imposed on us to defend our own people and our own cities. What we are demanding is a stop to all these actions and to come to the table where we discuss all our grievances together. Ahmed Moaz al-Khatib, head of the opposition Syrian National Coalition, met earlier this month in Munich, Germany, with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. The U.S. has already recognized the rebels as the legitimate rulers in Syria. "President Obama and I and nearly all of our partners and allies are convinced that President Assad, a tyrant hell-bent on clinging to power, is no longer fit to lead the Syrian people and he must go," Biden said, according to a transcript of his Munich speech released by the White House. The rebellion against al-Assad's government began in earnest in May 2011 as a wave of uprisings spread across the Arab world, including Tunisia, Algeria, Libya and Egypt. Read more: Kerry and Obama on same page in Syria? February 12, 2013 -- Updated 1708 GMT (0108 HKT) In the western town of Tal Kalakh, rebel fighters stand their ground as government forces loom just yards away. An image juxtaposing a famous painting of lovers and the ruins of a building in Syria has gone viral, becoming a powerful symbol of the country's devastation from civil war. February 8, 2013 -- Updated 1205 GMT (2005 HKT) CNN's Fred Pleitgen reports on the Syrian army in Homs, which is under attack and experiencing heavy casualties. February 6, 2013 -- Updated 1922 GMT (0322 HKT) Jordan is struggling to deal with an influx of Syrian refugees, amid difficult economic times. Mohammed Jamjoom reports. January 25, 2013 -- Updated 1353 GMT (2153 HKT) When you think of refugees, you may think of huddled masses, tired and poor. But those aren't the only types of people fleeing Syria. January 28, 2013 -- Updated 1458 GMT (2258 HKT) A schoolgirl writes for CNN explaining how her world was ripped apart by war in Syria and how she now lives scarred by hate and fear. February 14, 2013 -- Updated 1822 GMT (0222 HKT) As the conflict drags on, hundreds of thousands of people see their homes and lifes destroyed. See the latest photos from Syria. Are you in Syria? Share your stories, videos and photos with the world on CNN iReport, but please stay safe.