US policy "encourages extremists who are financing terrorism and supplying terrorist organizations and groups with weapons," Lavrov said in remarks during a joint news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in Baghdad on Thursday.

"In the end, this will not result in anything except the escalation of the Syrian conflict," he said.

The US has been supporting the ongoing extremist-marked insurgency in Syria to remove President Bashar al-Assad from power.

Despite widespread condemnation and warnings, Washington continues its support for the Syria militants, which have hundreds of extremist and terrorist groups among them.

A new report by The Washington Post on Wednesday said, as the UN and international parties are trying to help making a deal out of the so-called Geneva talks on ending the war in Syria, intelligence agents from the United States and its Arab allies in the Middle East are making secret arrangements to increase their support for the militant side.

Western and Arab spy chiefs gathered for a meeting in Washington last week to discuss providing more advanced weapons and special training to the militants, The report said.

Lavrov's visit to Baghdad comes after the second round of peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition co-sponsored by Russia and the United States broke off last week, with no date set for a third round.

SHI/SHI