BEGINNING OF END OF WAR
UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on Friday that the IS' remaining strongholds in Syria are likely to fall by the end of October.
The Syrian government and the Russians are very likely to liberate Deir al-Zour by the end of September or the beginning of October, said the envoy.
As for the U.S.-backed SDF, de Mistura said the U.S. and its allies are expected to liberate Raqqa by the end of October.
"And that is where the challenge starts at this very moment," he said.
"What we are seeing is, in my opinion, the beginning of the end of this war... what we need to make sure is that this becomes also the beginning of peace. And that is where the challenge starts at this very moment," he said.
The envoy said the international community must push for the political process.
Abdul-Bari Atwan, a London-based Palestinian journalist, said in a recent article that the remarks of Mistura mean that the end of the Syrian war is near. He, however, noted that the period after the end of the war is risky with the absence of the political solution.
The political solution, which Mistrua has warned of its absence, remains essential to achieve stability and form an inclusive government in Syria with general elections, which could lead to a complete end of war, he said.
In his interview, Mistura said the end of war must be the trigger for the international community to push for free and fair elections.
But despite the worries of the post-IS era, experts in Syria also agreed that the beginning of the end of the war in Syria has begun.
Ayham Maray, a Syrian journalist and writer, told Xinhua on Sunday that the remarks of Mistura are close to the reality, thanks to the progress of the Syrian army in the war on terror.
"In tandem with the rapid progress of the Syrian army, there is a sort of international and regional understanding to swiftly end the IS extremists," he said.
Maray said that the developments on the ground and the military control over key areas in Syria are "arranging the papers on the table of de Mistura" for the upcoming round of the Geneva talks, which is expected to be crucial.
The upcoming round of Geneva talks, expected to take place in mid-October, will be preceded with intra-Syrian talks in Astana, which is expected to find a political end to the situation in the northwestern province of Idlib, where the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front is in control.
Turkey and Russia will try to include Idlib in the de-escalation zones' deal, which has already included areas in southern and central Syria.
The Nusra Front fighters are expected to disband so that Idlib could be part of the de-escalation zones.
"All of these are signs of the near end of the Syrian war, or at least finding a solution to the crisis," Maray told Xinhua.
He said the recent developments are a sign of victory for the Syrian government, which has been withstanding the war for nearly seven years.
CHANGE IN INT'L STANCE TOWARD THE SYRIAN WAR
What strengthens the conviction that the solution is near is also the shift in the international stance toward Syria, particularly toward President Bashar al-Assad, whose ouster is no longer the Western powers' priority.
Boris Johnson, the British foreign secretary, recently said that "We used to say he (Assad) has to go as a precondition. Now we are saying that he should go but as part of a transition. It is always open to him to stand in a democratic election."
Former U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, also acknowledged in a recent interview that Assad has won the war.
"The war is winding down little by little. Assad has won and he will stay (in power). He may never be held accountable, and Iran will be in Syria to stay. This is a new reality that we have to accept, and there isn't much we can do about it," he said in an interview with The National.
He added that "It's an acknowledgment that the military situation is strongly in favor of Assad, Russia and the Iranians, and that it is impossible to roll it back."
Ford, who is now a senior fellow at the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said that it would impossible for the rebels to win over Assad, even if their regional and international backers threw all kinds of support of weapons and cash behind them.
Also, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday he sees a widespread acceptance among major powers that Assad should stay in place.
In an interview with the CNN, Rouhani, a key ally of Assad, said "I think today everyone has accepted that President Assad must remain so that we can combat the terrorists."
