Pelosi Leads Delegation To Syria, Israel

She will address the Knesset but not the PA. I wonder why? Oh right, the Israel Lobby.

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White House Discouraged Syrian Stop

POSTED: 3:58 pm EDT March 30, 2007

UPDATED: 4:14 pm EDT March 30, 2007

WASHINGTON -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is on a trip to the Middle East, with stops in Israel and Syria.

Pelosi arrived today in Israel, where on Sunday she will address the Knesset in her first speech to a foreign government.

She then plans to visit Syria, a move that drew fire from the White House.
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The Bush administration has mostly refused to engage Syria diplomatically because of its ties to terrorist networks.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Dana Perino said visits like the one Pelosi is making are discouraged, noting Syria is a "state sponsor of terror."

"We think that someone should take a step back and think about the message that it sends, and the message that it sends to our allies," Perino said during Friday's press briefing. "I'm not sure what the hopes are to -- what she's hoping to accomplish there. I know that [Syrian President Bashar al-]Assad probably really wants people to come and have a photo opportunity and have tea with him, and have discussions about where they're coming from, but we do think that's a really bad idea."

Pelosi's congressional delegation includes Minnesota U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the first Muslim member of Congress.

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