New Delhi  - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held talks Wednesday in New Delhi that focused on boosting trade and economic ties, officials said.

Assad's tour is viewed as a landmark in bilateral relations because it is the first visit by a Syrian head of state to India in three decades.

The leaders held discussions at Delhi's Hyderabad House, the venue for top diplomatic summits, officials in India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

"The talks covered the entire gamut of bilateral and international relations with a focus on trade and energy issues," a spokesman for the Indian foreign office said. "The Middle East peace process also figured in the talks."

Following the Singh-Assad talks, the two sides were due to sign pacts, including one on avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion and another on improving cooperation in agriculture.

In a recent interview, Assad indicated that Syria was keen on India assuming a more proactive and direct role in peace negotiations in the Middle East.

Assad told the Hindu newspaper that India, which had good relations with Israel and other Arab countries, could play a more direct role between Syria and Israel and the Palestinians and Israel.

The Syrian president was accorded a ceremonial reception Wednesday at the Presidential Palace, where he was greeted by his Indian counterpart, Pratibha Patil, and Singh.

In official engagements later in the day, Assad was due to meet Patil, Vice President Hamid Ansari and other Indian leaders, including the chairwoman of the ruling United Progressive Alliance, Sonia Gandhi.

The visit is significant because it comes against the backdrop of India's growing closeness with Israel over the past 15 years.

But the Indian establishment is keen to reinforce its long-standing ties with Arab countries, and Syria is the current chair of the six-nation Arab League.

Analysts said New Delhi is looking to close deals with hydrocarbon-rich Arab countries and Iran because it is anxious to secure energy sources to maintain its rapid economic growth.

Ahead of Assad's visit, Syrian Expatriate Affairs Minister Bouthaina Shaaban said Damascus hoped India's growing ties with Israel would not come at the expense of its historic ties with the Arab world.

Syria and Israel have resumed indirect peace talks after a gap of eight years. Negotiations between the countries broke down in January 2000 because of a dispute over the future of the Golan Heights, a strategic plateau that Syria insists on as a prerequisite for peace.

Assad, who arrived Tuesday in New Delhi for a five-day Indian tour, was accompanied by his wife, Asma al-Bashar, and a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem and Economy and Trade Minister Amer Husni Lutfi.

On Thursday, Assad is to travel to the country's information-technology (IT) hub of Bangalore, to see India's IT industry and invite Indian investment.

He was to also visit biotechnology establishments in the southern city as well as the Indian Space Research Organization.

Assad's tour would also include a visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra, officials said. He was scheduled to conclude his visit and leave for Damascus Saturday morning. (dpa)