(04-02) 04:00 PDT Jerusalem -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed Sunday to deliver a message from Israel to Syrian leaders that Israel will agree to peace talks only if Damascus renounces terrorism.
The announcement, made after Pelosi met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, came despite renewed criticism from the White House of Pelosi's decision to lead a congressional delegation to Syria, a country accused by the Bush administration of sponsoring terrorism and destabilizing the region.
"Pelosi is conveying that Israel is willing to talk if they (Syria) would openly take steps to stop supporting terrorism," said Olmert's spokeswoman, Miri Eisin. "But at this point the Syrian government, by openly backing terror all around the Middle East, is not a partner for negotiations."
Pelosi also announced during a dinner given in her honor at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that she would ask Syrian leaders about the status of the Israeli soldiers whose abduction by Hezbollah militants in July 2006 trig-gered last summer's war between Israel and Lebanon.
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Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik also backed the decision to engage Syria.
"Your expected visit to Damascus has naturally touched off a political debate in your country, and, of course, here," said Itzik, a member of Olmert's Kadima party. "I believe in your worthy intentions. Perhaps a step, seen as unpopular at this stage ... will make it clear to the Syrian people and leadership they must abandon the axis of evil, that they must stop supporting terrorism and giving shelter to its bases."
Itzik and Pelosi exchanged compliments on each becoming the first woman speaker in their respective houses.
"It took you more than 230 years, it took us only 58," Itzik said.
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California Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein strongly backed Pelosi's decision.
"I'm very supportive of what the speaker is doing," Feinstein told CNN's "Late Edition." "The time has come for members to begin to go to some of these countries and establish their own dialogue and see for themselves. ... Republicans have gone to Syria on more than one occasion. There is no reason why this bipartisan delegation should not as well."
Indeed, three GOP congressmen -- Frank Wolf from Virginia, Pennsylvania's Joe Pitts and Robert Aderholt of Alabama -- met with Assad in Syria on Sunday.
San Francisco Chronicle - Pelosi to take message from Jerusalem to Syria
