On eve of peace talks, Syrian forces make fresh gains against rebels

BEIRUT — Syrian army troops have overrun rebel strongholds in the mountains of western Latakia province, according to government and opposition accounts on Sunday, marking the latest government gains before peace talks slated to begin this week in Geneva.

Forces loyal to President Bashar Assad swept through the town of Rabiaa and nearby villages close to the Turkish border, according to the official Syrian media and a pro-opposition monitoring group.

The army advanced “after violent clashes against Islamic battalions” including a-Qaida-affiliated Jabat al Nusrah, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition monitor based in Britain. Syrian and Russian warplanes backed the thrust, the observatory said.

Since Sept. 30, when Moscow began its aerial combat operations in Syria, Russian warplanes have flown more than 5,600 missions in support of Assad’s government, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The Russian intervention has helped turn the tide of battle on several fronts, including Latakia, boosting the fortunes of Assad’s government as United Nations-peace talks are set to convene in Geneva this week

While the Geneva talks were scheduled to begin today, officials say a delay of at least a day is likely because of a dispute about who will represent the opposition delegation.

Still, officials from the United States and Russia — two principal backers of the Geneva talks — have said they are optimistic that the negotiations will take place. Washington and Moscow are on opposing sides of the Syrian conflict, but the two nations say a political settlement is needed to end the punishing conflict.

“We are confident that with good initiative in the next day or so, those talks can get going,” U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry said Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Obama administration has backed away from its longtime insistence that Assad step down from office as part of any U.N.-backed transition in Syria.

A Saudi-backed coalition that includes a number of hard-core Islamist groups insists it should be the sole opposition representative in Geneva.