DAMASCUS - Premier Mohammed Naji Ottri launched yesterday evening the promotional campaign for festivity of Damascus capital of Arab culture for 2008 .In his speech before a ceremony held for this occasion in old-Damascus based Anber Office, the Premier said this festivity is an effective moment lives in the heart of every Syrian citizen and every one of us that his heart is beating with love of Damascus, the city of Jasmines that had been the crossroad of civilizations and trade convoys, center of the intellectual dialogue, land of the Alphabet, the cradle of divine religions and the source of spiritual and aesthetic values.
'' Syria, under leadership of President al-Bashar Assad, is going ahead, in spite of all the challenges, to the future by steady steps and confident starting that its features manifested in the process of development and modernization that Syria is witnessing which positively effected all developmental, economic, legislative, administrative, sectors in addition to cultural, intellectual and media areas'' The Prime Minister said.
Chairman of Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce Dr. Rateb al-Shallah, in his speech, touched upon role of the economic activities and institutions, businessmen and merchants to provide this festival with all support, asserting that the economic activities would have full and effective role towards our historical capital in the present and future.
Secretary-General of the festival Dr. Hanan Qassab Hasan underscored that it is not strange for Damascus, the cradle of pan-Arab thought and the first university center to Arabize terms, to be the capital of culture.
By Ghossoun
© SANA (Syria Arab News Agency) 2007
