Abdullah Dardari

Abdullah Dardari is the deputy prime minister of Syria, and one of President Bashar al-Assad's closest allies and aides.

He was a journalist that headed the bureau of Alhayat pan-Arab daily in Syria, and later the local deputy of the UN Resident Representative. He was brought to the government first as head of the State Planning Commission. It was there that he started authoring Syria's 10th Five Year Plan, seen as the blueprint of reforms in Syria between 2006-2011.

He speaks fluent English and French, and is a popular face among the elite of Syria, as well as among journalists and foreign visitors.