Athens, (SANA)-Greek President Karolos Papoulias described as key the role of Syria in solving the region's issues, voicing appreciation of the Syrian wise and rational policy under the leadership of President Bashar al-Assad.

Receiving Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari on Wednesday, President Papoulias stressed that the Israeli withdrawal from the Golan  is the basis for any solution, renewing his condemnation of the American aggression on the Syrian city of Abu Kamal.

President Papoulias asked Dardari to convey his own greetings and the best wishes of the Greek people to President al-Assad, expressing the hope that economic relations between the two countries would match up with the political bilateral ties.

The meeting was attended by the Syrian delegation accompanying Dardari, including Minister of Transport Dr. Ya'arub Badr and head of the State Planning Commission Tayssir Raddawi.

Mr. Dardari is raking part in the two-day meeting of the 2nd Arab-Greek Economic Forum in Athens, organized by the Arab-Greek Chamber of Commerce and opened by the Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis.

Mr. Dardari had already briefed the participants in the Forum on the developments of the Syrian economy over the past few years.

He said that Syria was able to achieve a 6,6 percent growth despite the decease in oil revenues, expecting the growth rate will continue in 2008 and 2009.

For his part, Syrian Minister of Transport Dr. Badr on Wednesday discussed with Greek Minister of Mercantile Marine Anastasis Papaligouras the issue of reactivating the maritime shipping line between the Syrian port of Tartous and the Greek port of Pholos.

Minister Badr pointed out to the importance of this line for the two countries for the shipment of goods from Europe and Greece to Syria and the neighboring countries.

He added that another meeting will be held between on Friday between the Syrian and Greek Chambers of maritime shipping, pointing out that Greek owners of ships are interested in reactivating this line.

For his part, the Greek Minister expressed his country's desire and support to reactivating the line due to the urgent need for the sea shipping for Syria and Greek. 

Ahmad Fathi ZAHRA