Head of the EU Delegation to Syria Vassilis Bontosoglou and Syrian Minister of Labor Diala Haj Aref signed here on Tuesday a finance agreement worth 7 million U. S. dollars to strengthen the social welfare system in Syria, local Al-Watan news website reported Wednesday. The agreement, the first of its kind, aimed at providing Syrian government with 7 million U.S. dollars within the next three years to cover local social welfare programs, according to the report. Syrian government has attached high importance to fighting poverty and unemployment, said the report. Syria and the EU signed the EU-Syrian partnership agreement in autumn of 2004 following years of negotiations. The agreement was shelved after the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. On Oct. 8, 2009, the EU said it was ready to sign a new partnership agreement. However, Damascus has officially asked to postpone the signing to an unspecified date, saying it needs more time to consider the agreement and assess its impact on the Syrian economy. 