Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem dies at 79
The career diplomat was a steadfast supporter of the Syrian president's bloody crackdown on the opposition.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, the veteran diplomat and prominent spokesman for the regime, died at the age of 79, state TV reported on Monday.
The official SANA agency said Moallem died early Monday morning and his remains would be transferred from the hospital to his burial place at al-Mezzeh cemetery. No cause of death was given, but Moallem has reportedly suffered from heart problems. In 2014, he received heart surgery in Lebanon.
In his later years, Syria’s top diplomat remained a staunch supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's iron-fist approach to suppressing the rebels seeking his overthrow, and in charting Syria's efforts to rebuild ties with Arab countries. Moallem, who also served as deputy prime minister, was sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2011.
Syria’s main ally, Russia, offered its condolences on Monday, with Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov telling Russian state media that Moallem was a “reliable partner, a very knowledgeable man, diplomat and political figure.”
