DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s President Bashar Assad named a brand new overseas minister on Sunday, appointing Deputy Overseas Minister Faisal Mekdad to exchange a longtime diplomat who handed away final week, after holding the submit for greater than a decade.
Walid al-Moallem died on November 16 on the age of 79. In the course of the previous decade’s rebellion towards Assad, he grew to become one of many nation’s most distinguished faces to the skin world.
Like his predecessor, Mekdad is a profession diplomat who has been an in depth confidant of Assad and a harsh critic of the opposition throughout Syria’s practically 10-year battle. The battle has killed practically half one million individuals and displaced half the nation’s inhabitants.
Mekdad has represented Syria in conferences all through the world since turning into deputy overseas minister in 2006.
Assad additionally appointed Bashar Ja’afari, Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, to take over the position of deputy overseas minister. Bassam Sabbagh, a senior Overseas Ministry official, was named to the UN submit.