Focus on Syria Conference opened in London
SANA
7/11/2007

Deputy Premier for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari said Wednesday that the 10th Five-year plan has concentrated on three basic issues for development, saying the first was to increase the gross domestic product to 7% in the next years.

"The plan also aims at providing job opportunities and decreasing unemployment from 12% to 8% in 2010 as well as decreasing poverty from 11% to 9% in 2010," Dardari added at ' focus on Syria Conference held at Haberdashers Hall in London by the British Syrian Society.

He said that the growth rate increased from 4% in 2004 to 5.1 % in 2006, expecting to reach 6.2% in the current year.

Sir Gavyn Arthur, former Mayor of London pointed out to the importance of development in Syria, calling British investors to go to Syria and launch projects in it, making use of the big incentives the country offers.

For his part, Fawaz al-Akhras, Co-Chairman of the Society underlined the significance of holding this conference in London, the capital of world finance, referring to the need for the Syrian economy to benefit from the experiments available at the conference.

Governor of Central bank of Syria Adib Mayaleh, Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad, former UK Ambassador in Damascus Peter Ford and Executive Director of British Syrian Soceity Ghayth Armanazi in addition to a number of businessmen, Ambassadors, economic and banking experts attended the conference.