PROGRESS?

Syrian Regime Agrees to Peace Talks

Pro-government journalist killed by sniper.

The Syrian foreign minister said Monday that the regime agrees "in principle" to participate in talks in Geneva next month that are aimed at ending the bloody two-year civil war. Opposition officials have also indicated they will attend, although they have insisted that before doing so they first need assurance that President Bashar al-Assad will one day step down. Meanwhile, fighting continued in the fierce battle for control of Qusayr, a strategic town that links the capital to the Mediterranean Sea. Opposition fighters said at least 79 Hezbollah fighters were killed so far, while a sniper killed a pro-government journalist on Monday. In Europe, EU foreign ministers debated easing the sanctions against Syria so that weapons could be supplied to the rebels.