URL http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DEFDA1130F932A05750C0A9619C8B63

DATE/ AUTHOR None	AUTHORS: Jeff Zeleny

H Planned Visit to Syria by Pelosi Is Under Fire From White House

S1 A planned visit to Syria next week by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi drew criticism on Friday from the White House, which accused the Democratic Congressional leader of failing to heed the administration's admonitions against travel to Damascus.

S2 Ms. Pelosi is leading a bipartisan delegation on a weeklong tour of the Middle East that is scheduled to include a meeting with Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad.

S3 The Bush administration has resisted significant contact with the Syrian government, accusing it of meddling in Lebanon, supporting terrorism and being unhelpful on Iraq.

S4 ''We don't think it's a good idea,'' said the White House deputy press secretary, Dana Perino, of the Congressional visit.
S5 ''We think that someone should take a step back and think about the message that it sends.''

S6 As the House started a spring break on Friday, Ms. Pelosi and six members of Congress began a trip to Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
S7 While the United States government has engaged in tentative contact with Syrian officials recently, Ms. Pelosi is the highest-level American official to travel to Syria in years.

S8 The White House said it had not been informed that the delegation would be stopping in Syria.
S9 A spokesman for Ms. Pelosi, Brendan Daly, denied that assertion on Friday.
S10 He said the speaker recalled discussing her Syria trip directly with President Bush on Thursday during his brief visit to the Capitol.

S11 Mr. Daly also dismissed suggestions that the State Department had warned the Congressional delegation not to visit Syria.
S12 He said the speaker was following the Iraq Study Group's recommendations to ''discuss a wide range of security issues'' with Middle East governments, including Syria.

S13 In an interview Friday, Mr. Daly said a separate group of Republicans, including Representatives Frank R. Wolf of Virginia, Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania and Robert B. Aderholt of Alabama, also was visiting Syria.

S14 The United States, which believes that Iran and Syria are involved in fueling sectarian violence in Iraq, has declined to conduct direct talks with either government.
S15 Earlier this month, an American official attended a conference in Baghdad with representatives of both governments, but there have been no high-level meetings among leaders.
S16 ''In our view, it is not the right time to have these sorts of high-profile visits to Syria,'' Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the State Department, said.

S17 During the Israel portion of the trip, Ms. Pelosi is scheduled to address the Knesset.
S18 She is the highest-ranking American woman to speak before the country's Parliament, her spokesman said, and she plans to detail ''America's commitment to Israel and the challenges facing the two nations in the Middle East.''

S19 THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ

