Adnan Omran

Adnan Omran (born 1934) is a Syrian 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 in Damascus in 1956. In 1996, Omran was appointed deputy foreign minister and served in this post until 1998.

He was appointed minister of information on 14 March 2000 to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Muhammad Mustafa Mero under Hafez al-Assad. 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 was developed by the US and that its meaning was modified by the opposition groups in Syria in an attempt to form political parties. He continued to serve as information minister after the first cabinet reshuffle by Bashar al-Assad 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.