Thaier al-Sudani/AFP/Getty
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.