MOSCOW (Dispatches) -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday the United States had to intention to leave Syria despite Washington saying it had such plans, the RIA state news agency said.
Lavrov told reporters in Beijing he hoped it would become clearer how to cooperate on settling the Syrian issue after contacts with his counterparts from France.
Commenting on foreign ministers from Group of Seven leading industrialized nations who united on Monday to condemn Russia, Lavrov said they had an obvious "Russophobic rationale," RIA added.
The Syrian government plans to recover a terrorist-held pocket north of Homs city soon after it completes surrender deals with armed groups around the capital Damascus, a Syrian government minister said Tuesday.
Having taken back the largest militant-held area near Damascus, eastern Ghouta, in early April, the Syrian army and allied forces are close to recovering the remaining few pockets around the capital.
Government forces are bombarding a militant enclave in south Damascus where Daesh holds a pocket next to one held by rebel factions.
In recent days terrorists in two other enclaves northeast of Damascus, Dumair and east Qalamoun, surrendered and agreed to be transferred by bus to militant-held territory in northern Syria.
Ali Haidar, the Syrian minister responsible for national reconciliation, told Reuters in an interview the government would focus on recovering a militant-held pocket north of the city of Homs after securing the areas around Damascus.
"The issue will not be a long time coming after the final resolution in Qalamoun," Haidar said.
Haidar said the government had for a while been dropping leaflets and communicating with militants in the terrorist-held towns of Rastan, Talbiseh and Houla in northern Homs province.
"Today there is serious work in that area," he said.
"Armed groups wait to feel the seriousness and determination of the state's military action before they approach serious discussion of a reconciliation agreement."
Haidar said such reconciliation deals are also on offer to militants in southern Syria, where a de-escalation zone was agreed by the United States and Russia last year.
"The options are open: full reconciliation or military action where necessary."
But he indicated that retaking areas around Damascus and Homs - the last militant areas entirely besieged by the government - were the immediate priorities.
On Friday state media said militants had surrendered in the south Damascus enclave, which includes the Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp, Hajar al-Aswad district and neighboring areas. But pro-Syrian government forces were still bombarding the area by Tuesday.
Haidar said the militants had subsequently refused the deal and the military option was now being used.