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.
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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 opposition continues to grow stronger. And as the Syrian people have their chance to forge their own future, they will continue to find a partner in the United States of America," he said.
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.
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Syrian rebels take position in a house during clashes with regime forces in the old city of Aleppo on May 22.
Syrian army soldiers take control of the village of Western Dumayna north of the rebel-held city of Qusayr on Monday, May 13. Syrian troops captured three villages in Homs province, allowing them to cut supply lines to rebels inside Qusayr town, a military officer told AFP.
Rebel fighters fire at government forces in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Sunday, May 12.
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A Kurdish fighter from the "Popular Protection Units" (YPG) takes position inside a building in the majority-Kurdish Sheikh Maqsood area of Aleppo, on Apri. 21.
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Syrian and Kurdish rebel fighters walk in the Sheikh Maqsud district of Aleppo on April 14.
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A rebel runs to avoid sniper fire from Syrian government forces in Aleppo on Thursday, April 11.
Syrian rebels observe the movement of Syrian government forces around Al-Kendi hospital in Aleppo on Wednesday, April 10.
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A Syrian rebel runs for cover in Deir ez-Zor on April 2.
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Syrian rebels take position in Aleppo, the largest city in the country, on March 11.
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Residents read Shaam News newspapers published by the Free Syrian Army in Aleppo on March 2.
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A rebel fighter throws a home-made grenade at Syrian government forces in Aleppo on February 16.
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Free Syrian Army fighters walk through a dust-filled stairwell in Damascus on February 7.
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A rebel fighter throws a hand grenade inside a Syrian Army base in Damascus on February 3.
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Fighters from Fateh al Sham unit of the Free Syrian Army fire on Syrian Army soldiers at a check point in Damascus on January 20.
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A father reacts after hearing of a shelling by forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Aleppo on January 3.
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Syrians mourn a fallen rebel fighter at a rebel base in the al-Fardos area of Aleppo on December 8.
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Damaged houses in Aleppo are seen after an airstrike on November 29.
A Syrian rebel mourns the death of a comrade in Maraat al-Numan on November 20.
Syrians protesters stand on Assad's portrait during an anti-regime demonstration in Aleppo on November 16.
A Syrian rebel takes cover during fighting against Syrian government forces in Aleppo on November 15.
Syrian opposition fighter Bazel Araj, 19, sleeps next to his pistol in Aleppo on November 11.
A rebel fighter fires at a Syrian government position in Aleppo on November 6.
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Rebels hold their position in the midst of a battle on November 3 in Aleppo.
A man cries while being treated in a local hospital in a rebel-controlled area of Aleppo on October 31.
A man is treated for wounds after a government jet attacked the Karm al-Aser neighborhood in eastern Aleppo on October 31.
A Syrian rebel interrogates a handcuffed and blindfolded man suspected of being a pro-regime militiaman in Aleppo on October 26.
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A Syrian rebel fires at an army position in the Karm al-Jabal district of Aleppo on October 22.
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Syrian army soldiers run for cover during clashes with rebel fighters at Karam al-Jabal neighborhood of Aleppo on October 20.
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A Syrian opposition fighter stands near a post in Aleppo on October 11.
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Syrian rebels help a wounded comrade to an Aleppo hospital after he was injured in a Syrian army strike on September 18.
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Free Syrian Army fighters battle during street fighting against Syrian army soldiers in Aleppo on September 8.
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A man mourns in front of a field hospital on August 21 in Aleppo.
Wounded civilians wait in a field hospital after an air strike on August 21 in Aleppo.
People pray during the funeral of a Free Syrian Army fighter, Amar Ali Amero, on August 21.
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Syrian rebels hunt for snipers after attacking the municipality building in the city center of Selehattin on July 23.
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Syrian rebels take position near Qusayr on May 10.
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Syrian refugees walk across a field before crossing into Turkey on March 14.
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A Syrian man holds up a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad during a rally to show support for the president in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
Syrians rally to show their support for President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 30, 2011.
A screen grab from YouTube shows thick smoke rising above as Syrian anti-government protesters demonstrate in Moaret Al-Noman on April 29, 2011.
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Syrians wave their national flag and hold portraits of al-Assad during a rally to show their support for their leader in Damascus on March 29, 2011.
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Syrian protesters chant slogans in support of al-Assad during a rally in Damascus on March 25, 2011.
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