Adnan Mansour facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adnan Mansour
Adnan Mansour in 2013
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants
In office 13 June 2011 – 15 February 2014
Prime Minister	Najib Mikati
Preceded by	Ali Al Shami
Succeeded by	Gebran Bassil
Personal details
Born	Adnan Hassan Mansour (1946-01-05) 5 January 1946 (age 79) Bourj el-Barajneh, Lebanon
Political party	Independent
Alma mater	St. Joseph University
Website	Official website: http://adnanmansour.net/

Adnan Mansour (Arabic: عدنان منصور; born 5 January 1946) is a Lebanese diplomat and politician. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants for Lebanon.

Early Life and Education

Adnan Mansour was born in Bourj el-Barajneh, Lebanon, on 5 January 1946. He grew up in a family that followed the Shia branch of Islam. He went to St. Joseph University in Beirut. There, he earned a bachelor's degree in administrative sciences and policies. This degree teaches about how governments and organizations are run. He also earned a master's degree in political theory. This means he studied different ideas about how politics works. Later, he completed a PhD in political science. A PhD is the highest university degree you can get.

Career as a Diplomat

Mansour started working at the Foreign Ministry in 1974. A Foreign Ministry handles a country's relationships with other countries. He worked as Lebanon's consul in several places. A consul is a government official who helps citizens of their country who are living or traveling abroad. He served in Australia, Sudan, and Egypt.

From 1990 to 1994, he was the Lebanese ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo. An ambassador is the highest-ranking diplomat representing their country in another country. He also served as Lebanon's ambassador to Iran from 1999 to 2007. His last ambassador roles were in Europe. He was the Lebanese ambassador to Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from 2007 to 2010. He also served as ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium from 2007 to 2011.

Becoming a Minister

After his diplomatic career, Mansour worked as an aide to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. An aide helps a leader with their work. He also became a member of the Amal Movement, which is a political group in Lebanon.

On 13 June 2011, Adnan Mansour was chosen to be the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants. He took over from Ali Al Shami. As minister, he was part of the Najib Mikati's government, which is called a cabinet. His group was known as the March 8 Coalition.

In January 2012, Mansour made an important visit to Libya. This was the first time a Lebanese diplomat had visited Libya in 30 years. In September 2012, he traveled to Mauritania with a Lebanese judge. They went there to ask questions to Abdullah Senussi. Senussi was a former intelligence chief from Libya. They wanted to learn about what happened to Imam Musa Sadr, a religious leader who disappeared many years ago.

In February 2014, Gebran Bassil became the new foreign minister, replacing Mansour.

Political Views

Adnan Mansour is known for having views that support Syria. He is also close to Nabih Berri, the Parliament Speaker. Some people, like Lebanese journalist Nayla Tueni, even called him "the foreign minister of Syria in Lebanon."

In September 2012, after some strong comments by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah about a movie called Innocence of Muslims, Mansour suggested something. He thought that Arab foreign ministers should meet to speak out against the movie. However, other Lebanese politicians and cabinet members, including labor minister Salim Jreissati, did not agree with his idea.

At a meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo on 6 March 2013, Mansour said that Syria should be allowed back into the Arab League. The Arab League is a group of Arab countries that work together. His comments again caused disagreement from both the Lebanese government and countries in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf.

Personal Life

Adnan Mansour is married to Layla Fakhoury. They have three children together.