Republican Senator Arlen Specter voiced support on Sunday for U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria and called on the Bush administration to engage in talks with Syria.

Specter, in an interview with the CNN, said Pelosi was right to travel to Syria, where she met with Syrian President Bashar al- Assad.

Specter insisted that Assad can be negotiated with and "opening discussions with Syria are very, very important."

Pelosi visited Syria on April 3 and became the highest-ranking U.S. personnel to visit the country in years. The Bush administration has criticized the trip for sending "mixed" signals to Syria.

The bipartisan Iraq Study Group has urged the Bush administration to engage in talks with Iran and Syria. However, the Bush administration has largely ignored the suggestion and insisted Syria is a "state sponsor of terrorism."

Source: Xinhua