The Syrian administration is working on preparing a mechanism to appoint official government spokesmen.

The Minister of Information in the Syrian caretaker government, Mohammad Al-Omar, confirmed that the ministry is working to set clear standards that guarantee freedom of the media, while adhering to the values that befit the new Syria.

Al-Omar said - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - that the media of the former regime was a prisoner of the directives of the intelligence services, adding that the media of Free Syria today reflects the aspirations of the people and conveys their voice honestly, committed to its established values and principles.

Regarding the government media sources that Syrian and Arab citizens must rely on to obtain correct information, Al-Omar pointed out that the ministry has reactivated the Syrian News Agency (SANA) to be a reliable reference for obtaining official news, as well as the official pages of public bodies.

The Syrian Minister of Information revealed that the ministry is currently working on preparing a comprehensive mechanism to appoint official spokespersons to represent the government in the near future to facilitate communication with the media.

Regarding the fate of journalists who previously worked for the regime’s media, Al-Omar explained that war correspondents who participated in the crimes of the Assad regime and shed the blood of the Syrian people will be referred to the competent judicial authorities and will be treated in accordance with the principles of transitional justice, in response to popular demands.

In contrast, Al-Omar stressed that journalists who defected from the former regime will have a pivotal role in building the new Syrian media, while working seriously, in cooperation with the relevant authorities, to reveal the fate of missing journalists and secure their return.

Al-Omar expressed his belief that it is too early to talk about restructuring the press bodies, explaining that the ministry is currently working on developing a comprehensive media vision that brings together the various press institutions under one umbrella that expresses the values of freedom and change in the new Syria.

Earlier, Al-Omar called for deterring what he called "the aggression of counter-revolutions," after a number of confrontations between the General Security Forces of the new Syrian government and the remnants and militias of the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in various parts of the country.

Minister Muhammad Al-Omar was born in the town of Khan Al-Sabil in Idlib Governorate in 1985. He holds a degree in political science, and worked as a journalist between 2012 and 2019 to cover the most prominent battles in northern Syria.

Al-Omar was a member of the media office of the “Army of Conquest,” and contributed to establishing the Media Directorate within the Syrian Salvation Government, and held the position of Director of Public Relations therein.

Source: Al Jazeera