PARIS/BEIRUT, April 6, 2018 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia's Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Friday, with Macron calling on Russia to use its influence to end the conflict in Syria and resume negotiations towards a political transition. "The president underlined the need to put an end to the military escalation of recent months so as to protect civilian populations," the Elysee Palace said in a statement, adding that the two leaders had also discussed the need to ensure there is no resurgence of Islamic State in the region. The Elysee said Macron hoped that regular dialogue between France and Russia might allow more concrete progress on finding a solution in Syria. Meanwhile, The Pentagon said on Friday that U.S. military policy toward fighting Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria remains the same following discussions with President Donald Trump this week, and the military has not been given a timeline for withdrawing troops. Trump agreed in a National Security Council meeting this week to keep U.S. troops in Syria a little longer to defeat IS but wants them out relatively soon, a senior administration official said. Trump wants to ensure IS are defeated but wants other countries in the region and the United Nations to step up and help provide stability in Syria, the official said. Trump had signaled his desire to get U.S. forces out of Syria in a speech last week, and officials said he had privately been pressing for an early withdrawal in talks with his national security aides. "We've always thought that as we reach finality against ISIS in Syria we're going to adjust the level of our presence there, so in that sense nothing actually has changed," Marine Lieutenant General Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, told a Pentagon briefing. McKenzie said Trump has not given the U.S. military any timeline. Meanwhile, evacuations from the rebel-held town of Douma near the Syrian capital were suspended on Thursday, days after hundreds of opposition fighters and their relatives left for areas of the country's north as part of a surrender deal following a massive government offensive. State news agency SANA said the suspension was the result of disagreements within the Army of Islam rebel group, adding that buses that entered Douma for the evacuations on Thursday returned without passengers. Douma is the last town held by rebels in the eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus. Other rebel groups agreed to relocate to the north after a Russia-backed government offensive in February and March that killed hundreds of people and caused catastrophic destruction. The Army of Islam appears to have reached a deal with Russia to relocate to parts of northern Syria controlled by Turkey-allied opposition forces. On Wednesday, 650 fighters and civilians escorted by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent left Douma and headed north toward the town of Jarablus, according to SANA and opposition activists. The Army of Islam has never publicly confirmed the agreement, and is said to be divided on whether to leave Douma, with hard-liners wanting to stay and fight. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the suspension was triggered by measures taken by Turkish troops in areas where opposition fighters are arriving. It said there are about 14,000 Army of Islam fighters in Douma and the nearby eastern Qalamoun region. On Thursday, a reporter for Syrian state TV speaking from an area on the edge of Douma said no Army of Islam fighters have left so far, adding that those who departed over the past three days belonged to other groups. The Army of Islam, which has deep roots in the eastern suburbs of Damascus, has held firm in recent weeks as virtually all the other insurgents of eastern Ghouta have reached deals to relocate to the rebel-held north. The rebels say such agreements amount to forced displacement, but have reluctantly given in after years of siege and weeks of heavy bombardment. The Observatory said the Army of Islam is trying to negotiate a new deal with the Russians and the Syrian government that could allow some fighters to hand over their weapons and remain in the town.
