The Muhammad Naji al-Otari government was the second
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
n government formed during the presidency of
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator
Sources characterising Assad as a dictator:
who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...
. It was announced on 10 September 2003, by Prime Minister
Muhammad Mustafa Mero
Muhammad Mustafa Mero (; 1941 – 22 December 2020) was a Syrian politician who served as Prime Minister of Syria from 7 March 2000 to 10 September 2003.
Early life and education
Mero was born into a Sunni rural family in al-Tall in the outskir ...
. The cabinet lasted until 29 March 2011, and resigned in the wake of the Syrian Civil War.
* Prime minister:
Muhammad Naji al-Otari
Muhammad Naji al-Otari (, also ''Etri'', ''Itri'' and ''Otri''; born 1 January 1944) is a Syrian politician who was Prime Minister of Syria from 2003 to 2011.Abdullah Dardari
Original cabinet
Portfolios
* Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Farouk al-Sharaa
Farouk al-Sharaa (born 10 December 1938) is a Syrian politician and diplomat. He was one of the most prominent officials in the Ba'athist Syria#Politics and government, government of Ba'athist Syria and served as foreign minister from 1984 to 20 ...
Mustafa Tlass
Mustafa Abdul Qadir Tlass (; 11 May 1932 – 27 June 2017) was a Syrian military officer, author, historian and politician who was Ba'athist Syria's minister of defense from 1972 to 2004. He was part of the four-member Regional Command during th ...
* Minister of Higher Education: Hani Murtada
* Minister of Local Administration: Hilal Atrash
* Minister of Tourism: Saadallah Agha al-Qalaa
* Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform: Adel Safar
* Minister of Expatriates: Bouthaina Shaaban
* Minister of Education: Ali Saad
* Minister of Economy and Trade: Ghassan Al Rifai
* Minister of Health: Muhammad Iyad Shatti
* Minister of Justice: Nizar Assi
* Minister of Endowments: Muhammad Ziyadeh
* Minister of Irrigation: Nader Bunni
* Minister of Social Affairs and Labor: Siham Dello
* Minister of Oil and Mineral Reserves:
Ibrahim Haddad
Ibrahim Haddad () (born 1938) is a Syrian politician who served as minister of oil and mineral reserves from December 2001 to February 2006.
Early life and education
Haddad was born into a Christian family in Ain Ghara Tal Kalakh, Homs Governora ...
* Minister of Interior: Ali Hammoud
* Minister of Information: Ahmad Hassan
* Minister of Culture: Mahmoud Sayyed
* Minister of Electricity: Munib Saem Dahr
* Minister of Housing and Construction: Nihad Mshantat
* Minister of Transport: Makram Obeid
* Minister of Industry: Muhammad Safi Abu Dan
* Minister of Communication and Technology: Muhammad Bashir Monjed
Syrian Arab Red Crescent
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) ( ''Al-Hilal al-Aḥmar al-Arabi al-Souri'') is a Syrian humanitarian aid organization. It is affiliated with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
History
The society was foun ...
: Bashar al-Shaar
* Minister of State for Vital Projects: Muhammad Kharrat
* Minister of State for Population Affairs: Dr. Ghayyath Jaraatly
* Minister of State for
Parliamentary
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
Affairs: Hussam al-Asswad
Subsequent reshuffles
1st reshuffle
12 May 2004: One minister was replaced.
*Minister of Defense: Lt. Gen.
Hasan Turkmani
Hasan Ali Turkmani (; 27 January 1935 – 18 July 2012) was a Syrian military officer and politician who served as Syria's Minister of Defense from 2004 to 2009.
He was among four top Syrian government officials killed in a bombing in Damas ...
2nd reshuffle
4 October 2004: Eight ministers were replaced.
* Minister of Interior:
Ghazi Kanaan
Ghazi Kanaan (; 1942 – 12 October 2005; also known by his nickname Abu Yo'roub) was a Syrian Officer (armed forces), military officer and intelligence chief who served as Syria's interior minister from 2004 to 2005. He was also the long-tim ...
* Minister of Industry: Ghassan Tayyara
* Minister of Endowments: Ziad Al Din Sl Ayoubi
* Minister of Health: Maher Hammami
* Minister of Economy and Trade:
Amer Husni Lutfi
Amer Husni Lutfi (; 1956 – March 2018) was head of the State Planning Commission of Syria. He served as the minister of economy and trade between 2004 and 2010. Lutfi held a PhD in economic analysis, which he received from Université libre de ...
* Minister of Information:
Mahdi Dakhlallah
Mahdi Dakhlallah (; born 1947) is a Syrian Ba'ath party politician and diplomat. He served at different positions, including editor-in-chief, information minister and ambassador.
Early life and education
Dakhlallah was born into a Sunni family i ...
* Minister of Justice:
Muhammad Al Ghafri
Muhammad al-Ghafri () is a Syrian judge who served as justice minister from 2004 to 2009.
Career
Ghafri was a counsellor at Syrian state council. He served as justice minister from October 2004 to April 2009 in the cabinet headed by then prime m ...
* Minister of Social Affairs and Labor: Diala Al Hajj Aref
3rd reshuffle
21 February 2006: 15 ministers were replaced.
* Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Walid Muallem
Walid Mohi Edine al Muallem ( ''Walīd Muḥīyy ad-Dīn al-Muʿallem''; 13 January 194116 November 2020) was a Syrian diplomat and Ba'ath Party member who served as foreign minister from 2006 to 2020 and as deputy prime minister from 2012 to 202 ...
* Minister of Information: Muhsen Bilal
* Minister of Interior: Bassam Abdel Majeed
* Minister of Higher Education: Ghayath Barakat
* Minister of Culture: Riyad Naassan Agha
* Minister of Housing and Construction: Hammoud al-Hussein
* Minister of Oil and Mineral Reserves: Sufian Allaw
* Minister of Electricity: Ahmad Khaled al-Ali
* Minister of Transport: Yaarub Bader
* Minister of Industry: Fuad Issa al-Jouni
* Minister of Communication and Technology:
Amr Nazir Salem
Amr Nazir Salem () (born 1958) is a Syrian politician. He was Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Minister in the Second Hussein Arnous government.
Life and career
He was born in Damascus in 1958. He had a PhD in Informatics with management. ...
* Minister of State for
Parliamentary
In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
8 December 2007: Two ministers were replaced.
* Minister of Communications and Technology:
Imad Abdel Ghani Sabouni
Emad Abdul-Ghani Sabouni () (born 1964 in Damascus) is the former Minister of Communications and Technology of Syria.
Early life, education and career
Sabouni was born in Damascus in 1964. He earned a Ph.D. degree from National Polytechnic Ins ...
Said Mohammad Sammour
Said Mohammad Sammour () (born 1950) is a Syrian military officer and politician who served as interior minister between 2009 and 2011.
Early life and education
Sammour was born in Jableh in 1950. He received a bachelor of arts degree in English ...
* Minister of Health: Dr. Rida Said
* Minister of State for Presidential Affairs: Dr. Mansour Azzam
* Minister of Justice:
Ahmad Younes
Ahmad () is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other English spellings of the name include Ahmed. It is also used as a surname.
Etymology
The word derives from the root ( ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from ...
3 June 2009: One minister was replaced.
*Minister of Defense: Lt. Gen.
Ali Habib Mahmud
Ali Habib Mahmud (; 1 January 1939 – 20 March 2020) was a Syrian military officer who served as Syria's minister of defense from June 2009 to August 2011. As one of Syria's most celebrated generals, he was part of President Bashar al-Assad ...
9th reshuffle
19 January 2010: One minister was replaced.
*Minister of Economy and Trade:
Lamia Assi
Lamia Assi () (born December 27, 1955) became minister of tourism of Syria in 2011. She previously served as the Minister of Economy and Trade and as the Ambassador to Malaysia.
Early life and education
Assi was born on 17 December 1955. She ea ...
10th reshuffle
3 October 2010: Two ministers were replaced.
* Minister of Culture:
Riad Ismat
Mohammad Riad Hussain Ismat () (11 July 1947 – 13 May 2020) was a Syrian writer, critic and theatre director. He served as Minister of Culture of Syria from 3 October 2010 to 23 June 2012.
Early life, education and career
Ismat studied Engli ...
29 March 2011: All ministers resigned from their posts at the President's request. The Prime Minister was then reappointed to run a caretaker government, and the other ministers were kept in place.
See also
*
Cabinet of Syria
The Council of Ministers () was first constituted in the Syrian Constitution of 1930. Following the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024, Syria is currently undergoing a political transition, with Ahmed al-Sharaa leading a Syrian transiti ...
*
Government ministries of Syria
Government ministries of Syria make up the portfolios of the Cabinet of Syria.
Current ministries
* Ministry of Administrative Development
* Ministry of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform
* Ministry of Awqaf
* Ministry of Communications and Infor ...
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...