Syria's foreign minister Walid Muallem dies: state TV

Syria's Walid Muallem, died at dawn on Monday at the age of 79, the government announced on state television.

1 min read

16 November, 2020

Muallem died aged 79 [Getty]

Syria's foreign minister, Walid Muallem, died Monday at dawn at the age of 79, the government announced on state television.

The veteran diplomat, who had been foreign minister since 2006, started his career as a diplomat in 1964.

The state news agency SANA carried an official government announcement but did not specify the cause of death.

Since 2012, a year after Syria's deadly conflict started, he was also made deputy prime minister.

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In press conferences, he was known for his mocking stances against the West, whom he accused of conspiring to start the conflict.

Of Syria's 17 million population, 5.5 million are living as refugees in neighbouring countries, mostly in Turkey. A further six million are internally displaced and uprooted within Syria.

Hundreds of thousands have been killed since the conflict erupted in 2012 after a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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