Syria's prime minister warned Israel Saturday that any new Middle East war would be catastrophic for the region and beyond.

Premier Naji al-Otari told reporters after meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon in Damascus, that a new war will have dangerous repercussions not only in the Middle East but also on the international level.

Syria's foreign minister warned Israel earlier this month that any new war would reach Israeli cities.

On Friday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met with the French Prime Minister for discussing bilateral political, economic and cultural relations, Syria's official news agency SANA reported Saturday.

The leaders, who met late on Friday, also discussed the political developments in the region and the stalled peace process.

During the talks, al-Assad highlighted "the need for European countries to assume an active role to force Israel to commit to the requirements of peace," SANA reported.

The meeting was attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem as well as the delegation accompanying Fillon.

French Economic Minister Christine Lagarde and Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand accompanied Fillon for the 24-hour visit, along with a delegation of top businessmen.

A number of agreements are expected to be signed Saturday between the two governments to boost the economic relations between the two countries.

The bilateral trade is estimated to be around 800 million euros.

Syrian-French relations have witnessed growing development since al-Assad visited Paris in July 2008 and French President Nicolas Sarkozy visited Syria a couple of months later.

Fillon will head to Jordan late on Sunday, where he is due to hold talks on Sunday.