U.S. Rep. Joe Pitts and two other Republican congressmen did not undermine the Bush administration by meeting with Syria's leader Sunday, despite going to Damascus against the president's wishes, Pitts said Wednesday.

Pitts, who represents Lancaster County, contrasted his visit with that of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has drawn strong criticism from President Bush for meeting with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

"We made it very clear in our meetings that we were the same (political) party of the president and we support the administration," Pitts said.

"Speaker Pelosi was coming as the opposition leader … I doubt if the Speaker would say the same thing (to Assad) as we did."

Pitts and U.S. Reps. Frank Wolfe of Virginia and Robert Aderholt of Alabama met with Assad Sunday to talk about issues in the Middle East three days before Pelosi's delegation arrived there on a similar mission.

"Dialogue is not a sign of weakness," Pitts said after returning home Wednesday. "It's a sign of strength."

Pitts said the White House was not involved in his visit to Syria, contradicting his chief of staff, Gabe Neville, who said Monday the Bush administration "cooperated" in the visit.

"He probably misspoke," Pitts said.

The White House and at least one Republican presidential candidate have sharply criticized visits to Syria by members of Congress but have mentioned only Pelosi by name.

"The White House discourages all U.S. officials from visiting Syria," Bush spokesman Alex Conant said Wednesday, adding that doing so undermines Bush's policy of isolating Syria, which the White House considers a state sponsor of terrorism.

The congressional meetings with Assad have spurred a national debate about how to convince Syria to close its borders to foreign fighters flowing into Iraq to battle American soldiers, to stop supporting Hamas and Hezbollah in their conflict with Israel and to cease meddling in Lebanon's domestic affairs.

Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor seeking the Republican nomination for president, slammed Pelosi during an event in Iowa Wednesday for meeting with Assad, calling her actions "outrageous."

He did not, however, mention the Republican contingent that included Pitts.

Romney spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said during an interview later in the day Romney believes the United States should have "one foreign policy" and that Pelosi's visit will "create confusion and undermine our interests abroad."

"Nancy Pelosi is different (than rank-and-file congressmen) because she is third in line to the presidency and the chief promoter of the troop withdrawal (from Iraq), which runs counter to the president's foreign policy agenda," Pompei said.

Pitts said the congressional Republicans' meeting with Assad did not undermine Bush because they emphasized the same policies the president advocates.

"The first thing we said was … to appeal to the Syrian government to stop the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq with (explosives) and killing our soldiers in Iraq," Pitts said.

The Republicans also talked about stopping Syrian support of Hamas and Hezbollah and Syrian involvement in Lebanon, he said.

Pelosi spokesman Drew Hammill said the Speaker's seven-member delegation — six Democrats and one Republican — delivered a similar message Wednesday.

"The bipartisan delegation stressed to President Assad that President Bush and the Congress are united in fighting terrorism," Hammill said, adding Pelosi raised issues related to Iraq, Hamas and Hezbollah.

Pitts said the Republicans' conference with Assad was not an attempt to undermine Pelosi and was arranged before he was aware of Pelosi's visit.

He also said the GOP congressmen received a debriefing by the U.S. Department of State, and members of the State Department were present during all their meetings in Syria.

State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said, "We offer all congressional delegations a pre-trip debriefing, and we convey the administration's position to all parties."

Pitts said Assad delivered to the Republicans a message of his own.

"He denied that there were terrorists that they knew about going through their country," Pitts said. "(The Syrians) said if you have evidence, give it to us, and we'll act on it.

"They were interested in diplomacy. They want respect. Basically, they feel we have talked down to them, and we don't treat them with civility and as an equal."

Before relations can improve, Pitts said, Syria must close its border with Iraq to prevent foreign fighters from attacking American troops.

E-mail: dpidgeon@lnpnews.com