Adnan Omran ( ar, عدنان عمران) (born 1934) is a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

diplomat and politician who served as information minister from 2000 to 2003.

Early life and education

Omran was born in 1934. He holds a bachelor's degree in public law, which he received from

Syrian University The University of Damascus ( ar, جَامِعَةُ دِمَشْقَ, ''Jāmi‘atu Dimashq'') is the largest and oldest university in Syria, located in the capital Damascus and has campuses in other Syrian cities. It was founded in 1923 through ...

Damascus )), is an adjective which means "spacious". , motto = , image_flag = Flag of Damascus.svg , image_seal = Emblem of Damascus.svg , seal_type = Seal , map_caption = , ...

in 1956. Then he obtained a diploma in Syrian private law. He also received a diploma in diplomatic studies and international law from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in 1964.

Career

After graduation, Omran began to serve as a member of the permanent mission of Syria to

the United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

in 1964. Two years later he was named as first secretary of the Syrian Embassy in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. His tenure ended in 1968, and he served as counsel general of the Syrian Arab Republic in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

until 1970. Next he was appointed director of the international organisations department and special offices at the Syrian foreign ministry. He served there until 1974. Then he was named as Syrian ambassador to

the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and then, to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

from 1974 to 1980. Omran began to assume political positions in 1980. His first political post was assistant secretary general for political affairs, which he held until 1996. He represented Syria and the League of Arab States at various international conferences and also, committees of the United Nations. He also held the post of the Arab League assistant secretary general during this period. In 1996, Omran was appointed deputy foreign minister and served in this post until 1998. He was a member of the

Ba'ath Party The Arab Socialist Baʿath Party ( ar, حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي ' ) was a political party founded in Syria by Mishel ʿAflaq, Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn al-Bītār, and associates of Zaki al-ʾArsūzī. The party espoused B ...

's central committee in 2000. He was appointed minister of information on 14 March 2000 to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa Mero under

Hafez Assad Hafez al-Assad ', , (, 6 October 1930 – 10 June 2000) was a Syrian statesman and military officer who served as President of Syria from taking power in 1971 until his death in 2000. He was also Prime Minister of Syria from 1970 to 197 ...

. Omran replaced Mohammad Salman as information minister. Omran's appointment raised hopes that Syrian media would be given more liberty. However, on 29 January 2001, Omran argued that the term

civil society Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

when he became the president. In September 2003, Mero resigned from office, and Mohammad Naji Al Otari formed a new cabinet. Omran was replaced by Ahmad Hassan as information minister on 10 September 2003. Omran was named as a member of the Committee of Patrons of the Anglo-Arab Organisation in January 2003.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omran, Adnan 20th-century diplomats 21st-century Syrian politicians 1934 births Ambassadors of Syria to Sweden Ambassadors of Syria to the United Kingdom Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region politicians Damascus University alumni Columbia University alumni Living people Syrian ministers of information