Staffan de Mistura says the talks haven't failed, but need immediate help from international backers led by the United States and Russia.
But the omens are not good.
UN envoy Staffan de Mistura had a simple message after he paused peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition.
"The UN cannot allow simply procedural matters to actually become more important than actually the result for the humanitarian situation of the Syrian people who have been waiting for us to deliver, this time not a conference, but something concrete for them. I've therefore taken this decision to bring a temporary pause: it is not the end and is not the failure of the talks."
Stakeholders began arriving in Geneva last weekend but the talks only officially began two days ago.
Now they'll break until until February the 25th.
Already Mr de Mistura is warning they won't be meaningful if they do not carry immediate tangible benefits for the Syrian people in the form of improved humanitarian access.
"I was told and reassured they were going to take place during the talks. Well, I've been hearing from the government that they have some procedural issues before talking about the humanitarian side. I've been hearing from the opposition that they are urgently feeling the need for the Syrian people."
Staffan de Mistura says it's his frank conclusion that much more preparation is required before the talks can progress.
And with the death toll in Syria now above 250,000, the UN envoy says the Syrian people don't need talks for the sake of talks.
"I am not frustrated, I am not disappointed. I have been long enough with the UN to know that when you have a five-year war that has had so many difficult moments, you have to be determined but also realistic and when you see things going a certain direction you say, 'we are the convenor, we manage the conference, we decide when the conference is producing results or not'."
Mr de Mistura insists both sides have expressed their interest in the political process and more time is needed for both sides to address a number of unresolved issues, which he did not specify.
Syria's Ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, says it's not Syrian government negotiators who've held up the talks.
"We have proved to the world how serious we were and our goodwill. They asked us to come on the 28th. We came directly from the airport to the conference palace. Then we had another meeting with him (Staffan de Mistura) yesterday with him."
It comes as the Syrian government, backed by Russian airstrikes, claims to have broken a siege of two towns north-west of Aleppo.
The advance on Nubl and Zahra, reported on Syrian state television, severs a key rebel supply route into the city.
It's also led the opposition to accuse the Syrian government of negotiating in Geneva in bad faith.
Opposition negotiation spokesman Riad Hijab blames the Syrian government for the lack of progress at the UN talks.
And he vows the opposition will not return to Geneva without changes on the ground.
"And I believe this is a chance for the international community to put pressure on the regime and its allies to make sure they implement the issues of the humanitarian needs of the Syrian people, through releasing detainees, lifting the siege of towns and stopping airstrike attacks on Syrian towns. HNC (High Negotiations Committee) delegation will leave Geneva tomorrow and will not return here unless we see something on the ground."
