U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas at his Ramallah headquarters Tuesday, as part of her Middle East tour.

Abbas told Pelosi that he is hoping that the planned bi-weekly talks with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will build the foundation for renewed negotiations with the Jewish State.

Pelosi’s tour has drawn criticism from the White House after she paid a visit to Syria, a nation which is named by the U.S. government as a supporter of terrorism.