CHICAGO, April 20 (Xinhua) -- Illinois Senior Senator Dick Durbin is defending U.S. President Barack Obama's handshake with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez over the weekend during the Fifth Summit of the Americas which as held in Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago, according to a local radio report Monday.

    Durbin said that the gesture shows the Obama administration is taking a fresh approach to foreign relations.

    "I think opening up dialogue with many of these leaders is long overdue, and a handshake with a president of another country is no abandonment of a foreign policy," he said.

    "It may be the beginning of a dialogue that can make real progress," he added.

    Some Republicans have criticized President Obama for being too friendly with Chavez. The Venezuelan president has long been critical of the U.S. leaders including former President George W. Bush.