NANCY PELOSI: GREAT AMERICAN OR FELON?

QUESTION: I have one more on Israel related to Speaker Pelosi's trip. The Israelis are saying that she kind of botched the message that she brought to President Assad that Israel is looking for peace talks. And I was wondering if you think that this complicates what you're trying to do in relation to the peace process and if her getting involved in this kind of diplomacy is -- I know you said she shouldn't go because of the message that it sends to Syria. But in terms of someone who's not particularly following these kind of issues day in day out as a diplomat should someone like that be involved in passing messages to countries that you're trying to negotiate with on a peace deal?

MR. MCCORMACK: Well, the Israeli Government has already come out and said that there's no change in policy. I think that that is quite clear. Look, we made our views known quite clearly to Speaker Pelosi, as well as to others in congressional delegations that were considering and chose -- or chose to travel to Syria. We thought it was not a good idea and we listed the reasons why. It sends the wrong message to Syria. They exploit these high level visits for all the PR value that they're worth and then they don't change their behavior. And that is a reason that we gave to Speaker Pelosi as well as others who have chosen to travel there as well. I don't think it necessarily complicates anything that we're doing because everybody understands quite clearly what the policies of the United States Government are.

The fact that it is the Executive Branch that is responsible for foreign policy, we certainly encourage congressional delegations to travel outside the United States, to travel around the world to acquaint themselves with the conditions in the countries with which we are dealing. That is important. We encourage that and we support those efforts. But I think everybody understands that it's the Executive Branch that is responsible for foreign policy, that it's the State Department that is responsible for formulating and executing those policies.

QUESTION: But the concerns that you had about her going, sending the wrong message. Now, there's this idea that she kind of miscommunicated a message between two countries. Were your fears and concerns realized? I mean, do you think that she's accomplished anything good on this trip?

MR. MCCORMACK: I think I'll leave that assessment to Speaker Pelosi and her traveling delegation to explain what it is that they think that they accomplished on the trip.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Syria must stop supporting "terrorist groups" before Israel can engage it in peace talks, an Israeli government official said on Wednesday, expanding on a message U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi conveyed in Damascus.

"Several days ago, the speaker of the House asked Prime Minister Ehud Olmert if he had any message to give to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad," the official said.

"The prime minister said Israel is interested in peace with Syria, but Syria would first have to abandon the path of terror and providing support for terrorist groups," the official told Reuters.

In Damascus, Pelosi, the top House Democrat, said she had given Assad a message from Olmert that Israel was willing to engage in peace talks.

On Sunday, Olmert called on Arab leaders to meet him for a peace summit but he gave no indication that Israel had lifted its refusal to hold bilateral talks with Syria until it ceases its backing of Palestinian and Lebanese militant groups.