Syrian pro-government forces recaptured a key rebel-held town in coastal Latakia province on Sunday, building on battlefield advances in the area just a day ahead of planned peace talks in Geneva between Damascus and Syria's opposition. Government troops and militiamen, supported by Moscow's air power and joined on the ground by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters and Iranian forces, have pressed offensives in the west and north-west of the country in recent months, seeking to reverse gains made by insurgents last year.
The latest advance comes just ahead of scheduled talks which increasingly look set to stall, partly because of a dispute over the opposition negotiating team's composition and opposition demands that Russia stop bombing civilian areas and Damascus lift sieges before they will come to the table. The recapture of the town of Rabiya in Latakia province paved the way for an advance up to the border with Turkey, which supports insurgents fighting against President Bashar al-Assad, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Syrian state television confirmed Rabiya's capture. The Observatory described Rabiya as the "second most important base for (rebel) fighters in the northern Latakia countryside" after the town of Salma, which pro-government forces seized earlier this month in one of the most significant advances since Russia joined the fight.
Damascus's gains come ahead of peace talks set to begin on Monday in Geneva. The United States says it is confident they will go ahead during the week. There is risk of delay, however, partly because of a dispute over who will comprise the opposition delegation. Russia demands the inclusion of representatives who could be deemed closer to its own thinking, which is rejected by the opposition. The opposition demands a halt to Russian bombing of civilian areas and for sieges to be lifted before it will come to the table even for indirect talks. A Western diplomat said talks would be unlikely to begin before Wednesday, with the opposition negotiating team formed after a conference in Saudi Arabia last month taking stock in Riyadh until Tuesday.
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