U.S. Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, will visit Syria next week, said Frederick Jones, a spokesman for the Democrat, on Wednesday.
During the visit, Kerry will meet with Syrian President Bashar Assad, Jones told reporters, adding that the State Department is helping to facilitate the trip, Xinhua reported.
Kerry met with Assad in December 2006. The leader of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, also met with Assad in Syria in early 2007, despite the opposition by the Bush administration.
The United States froze diplomatic relations with Syria following the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. Washington blamed it on Syria, while Syria denied involvement.
In addition, Washington also criticized the Syrian human rights track record and accused Damascus of trying to undermine stability in Iraq and undercut Lebanon's sovereignty and democracy.