Syria opposition to meet Tuesday, blames Russia for ‘obstacles’
Syrian peace talks meant to begin this week were stalled on Monday partly over the question of who would represent the opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. Rebels also want an end to air strikes, the lifting of government sieges on opposition-controlled territory, and the release of detainees. Opposition groups have until Tuesday to decide whether to attend the talks, while Kerry has applied pressure to the opposition warning they risked “losing friends” if they failed to attend. Russia says opposition figures it calls terrorists should be barred from the talks and wants to include groups like the Kurds who control wide areas of northern Syria. Regional heavyweight Turkey strongly opposes inviting the Kurds. Kerry said he is supports the UN Envoy Staffan de Mistura in holding off on issuing invitations until things are clearer. The Syrian state has said it will make no concessions during the talks. [Reuters, 1/25/2016]

Syrian government retakes rebel towns in Latakia province
Syrian government forces have seized the last major town held by rebels in western Latakia province. State TV said Rabia, in rebel hands for four years, was overrun by the army and “popular defense” forces. The province is a stronghold of the Alawite community to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Russian forces played a key role in the recapture of Rabia, according to the UK-based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). SOHR head Rami Abdel Rahman said Assad’s forces had surrounded the town from three sides in the space of 48 hours by capturing several villages. Russian air strikes played an essential role, he said. [WSJ, Reuters, BBC news, Aljazeera, Asharq al-Awsat, 1/24/2016]

Russia says it has no plans to set up another base in Syria
The Russian Defense Ministry said it has no plans to set up another airbase in Syria on Monday. The ministry’s statement followed media reports claiming that Russia could be preparing to create another base in Qamishli in northeastern Syria near the border with Turkey. The ministry’s spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that the military has no intention to set up an additional airbase in Qamishli or advance airfields in Syria. Konashenkov emphasized that Russian warplanes based at Hemeimeem airbase in Latakia province can reach any location in Syria in half an hour, so there is no need for any additional base. [AP, Reuters, 1/25/2016]

US Vice President Biden visits Istanbul to discuss regional developments
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and US Vice President Joe Biden discussed regional developments in a meeting on January 23 in Istanbul. The White House statement released Monday revealed “the two leaders discussed ways to further deepen the cooperation in the campaign to degrade and destroy ISIS,” adding that other regional developments including Syria were also discussed. Vice President Biden also expressed concerns over increasing violence in Turkey’s southeast and “urged Turkish leadership to engage in dialogue with all of the country’s communities who seek a peaceful resolution.” Biden also said on Saturday that the US and Turkey were prepared for a military solution against the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) in Syria should the government and rebels fail to reach a political settlement. “We do know it would better if we can reach a political solution but we are prepared … to have a military solution to this operation in taking out Daesh,” Biden said at a news conference after a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu. [AP, Reuters, Hurriyet, White House, 1/25/2016]

Saudi envoy comments on Iraq’s Shia militias draw hostile reactions
Iraqi Shia lawmakers accused the new Saudi ambassador of meddling in domestic affairs because of comments the latter made about the presence of Shia militias in Iraq. In an interview with Iraq’s al-Sumaria TV on Saturday, Saudi Ambassador Thamer al-Sabhan said the Popular Mobilization Units, a coalition of mostly Iranian-backed Shia paramilitary groups set up in 2014 to fight ISIS, should leave the fight against the militants to Iraq’s army and official security forces in order to avoid aggravating sectarian tensions. Iraq’s foreign ministry has officially summoned the Saudi ambassador, calling the remarks “an interference in Iraqi internal affairs [and] a departure from diplomatic norms.” [Reuters, 1/24/2016]

Czechs to send guns, ammunition to Iraq and Jordan to fight ISIS
The Czech government voted on Monday to send guns and ammunition to Iraq and Jordan to support the fight against ISIS, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said. Ministers agreed to send 6,500 new and used automatic rifles and some seven million rounds of ammunition to Iraq via the US government and a separate shipment of ammunition to Jordan. “The fight against ISIS is an important part of solving the migration crisis that is hitting Europe,” Sobotka said in a statement. [Reuters, NYT, 1/25/2016]