Beirut
Syria’s longtime Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem died on Monday at the age of 79. He was a career diplomat who became one of the country’s most prominent faces to the outside world during the uprising against President Bashar-al Assad.
Al-Moallem, who served as ambassador to Washington for nine years, starting in 1990 during Syria’s on-and-off peace talks with Israel, was a close confidant of Assad known for his loyalty and hard-line position against the opposition. A soft spoken, jovial man with a dry sense of humor, al-Moallem was also known for his ability to defuse tensions with a joke. During the current crisis, he often held news conferences in Damascus detailing the Syrian government’s position. Unwavering in the face of international criticism, he repeatedly vowed that the opposition, which he said was part of a Western conspiracy against Syria.– AP
