SOURCE: World Peace Herald
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has drawn fire from the Bush administration for her planned visit to Syria.
The California Democrat, who began a swing through the Mideast Friday, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad next weekend in Damascus, CNN reported.
Relations with Syria are strained, with the United States charging that Syria has fomented problems in the region.
"We do not encourage and, in fact, we discourage members of Congress to make such visits to Syria," White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "This is a country that is a state sponsor of terror, one that is trying to disrupt the (Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora government in Lebanon and one that is allowing foreign fighters to flow through its borders to Iraq."
Pelosi is also scheduled to address Israel's parliament but other details of her itinerary were withheld for security reasons.
A spokesman for Pelosi issued a statement saying the speaker "intends to discuss a wide range of security issues affecting the United States and the Middle East with representatives of governments in the region, including Syria" as recommended by the Iraq Study Group.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has drawn fire from the Bush administration for her planned visit to Syria.
The California Democrat, who began a swing through the Mideast Friday, is scheduled to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad next weekend in Damascus, CNN reported.
Relations with Syria are strained, with the United States charging that Syria has fomented problems in the region.
"We do not encourage and, in fact, we discourage members of Congress to make such visits to Syria," White House deputy spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "This is a country that is a state sponsor of terror, one that is trying to disrupt the (Prime Minister Fouad) Siniora government in Lebanon and one that is allowing foreign fighters to flow through its borders to Iraq."
Pelosi is also scheduled to address Israel's parliament but other details of her itinerary were withheld for security reasons.
A spokesman for Pelosi issued a statement saying the speaker "intends to discuss a wide range of security issues affecting the United States and the Middle East with representatives of governments in the region, including Syria" as recommended by the Iraq Study Group.