DAMASCUS, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad Wednesday said dialogue between his country and France helps find suitable solutions to regional problems, the official SANA news agency reported.

Assad made the remarks while meeting with Chairman of the French-Syrian Parliamentary Friendship Group of the French Senate Philippe Marini, who also clarified Syria's position on the peace process and France's potential role in it.

For his part, Senator Marini affirmed that Assad's recent visit to France opened the door to develop Syrian-French relations in all fields and affirmed Syria's pivotal regional role, SANA said.

Assad paid a three-day visit to Paris in Mid-July during which he held talks with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy on the peace process in the Middle East, including the indirect negotiations between Syria and Israel via Turkish mediation, as well as bilateral cooperation between the two sides in various fields.

Sarkozy is scheduled to visit Syria in the first half of September.