Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem dies aged 79

Al Moalem backed President Bashar Al Assad's violent suppression of protests

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem holds a press conference on June 23, 2020 on new US sanctions imposed on the country, in the capital Damascus. AFP

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem attends the opening session of the international conference on the return of refugees held in Damascus on November 11, 2020. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov chat as they hold a joint press conference after meeting in Syria's capital Damascus, on September 7, 2020. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after a press conference at Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing on June 18, 2019. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem gestures as he speaks to the media on August 30, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. AP Photo

Oman's Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi meets with his Syrian counterpart Walid Al Moalem in Muscat during an official visit to the Gulf sultanate on March 26, 2018. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem holds a press conference in the capital Damascus on May 8, 2017. AFP

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem addresses the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly October 2, 2015 at the United Nations in New York. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem looks on next to body guards during the so-called Geneva II peace talks on January 22, 2014 in Montreux. AFP

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi speaks with Syria's new Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi and Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem on the last day of Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Tehran on August 31, 2012. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem followed by his Faisal Maqdad vote on a new constitution that could end five decades of single-party domination, in the capital Damascus, on February 26, 2012. AFP

Visiting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad stands by as UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed greets Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem in Abu Dhabi on June 1, 2008. AFP

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad walks with his foreign minister, Walid Al Moalem, and Arab League chief Amr Mussa during a welcoming ceremony for Arab leaders at Damascus airport on March 28, 2008. AFP

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed is welcomed by his Syrian counterpart Walid Al Moalem in Damascus on February 19, 2008. AFP

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon talks to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem, with Bassam al-Sabagh, Moalem's office director and UN Terje Roed-Larsen, UN Middle East envoy, on the airplane flying from Doha to Damascus ahead of Ban's first visit to Syria, April 24, 2007. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem meets US House speaker Nancy Pelosi in Damascus, on April 4, 2007 during her two-day trip to Syria. AFP

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem shakes hands with United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moonon September 28, 2007, during the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem speaks to the press as his arrives to a hotel in Riyadh, on March 25, 2007 prior to the Arab Summit. AFP

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and Syria 's Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem pose to media during a meeting in Ankara January 31, 2007. AFP

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani meets with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem in Baghdad, November 20, 2006. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem accompanies UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to the airport in Damascus, September 1, 2006. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmud al-Zahar hold a joint press conference following their meeting in Damascus April 20, 2006. AFP

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem attends a parliamanent session in Damascus on May 17, 2006. AFP

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow March 14, 2006. AFP

Syrian Vice Foreign Minister Walid Al Moalem and Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmud Hammud pose for a picture on February 1, 2005 following their meeting in the Lebanese capital Beirut. AFP

Syria's long-time foreign minister Walid Al Moalem, a staunch defender of President Bashar Al Assad's crackdown on peaceful protesters that sparked a decade-long conflict, has died, state TV reported early on Monday.

There were no details on the cause of death, but the 79-year old had for years been in poor health with heart problems.

Al Moalem was appointed foreign minister in 2006 and also held the post of deputy prime minister.

Born in Damascus in 1941, Al Moalem later moved to Egypt, where he studied economics at Cairo University. A year after his graduation, he joined the Syrian Arab Baath Party, representing the regime in Saudi Arabia, England and Spain, among other countries.

After spending time in Communist Eastern Europe, Al Moalem worked his way through the ranks of the Foreign Ministry, holding a number of bureaucratic positions before becoming ambassador to Washington from 1990 to 2000. He became a deputy foreign minister, overseeing Damascus’ interests in Lebanon, in 2005.

During this time, he represented Syria at international conferences including the 2006 meeting of the Organisation for Islamic Co-operation.

According to a leaked US State Department cable on the event, Mr Al Moalem was working on strengthening his country’s ties with Turkey and Jordan. At the time, some observers hoped the rule of Bashar Al Assad would take the country towards a more moderate regional position.

The cable noted that Mr Al Moalem supported Iran’s nuclear programme and “reiterated Syria's support for the Iraqi people's aspirations to achieve national reconciliation”. The Syrian government was later accused of allowing terrorists to cross into Iraq to attack American-led coalition forces, a campaign which also claimed thousands of civilian lives.

Following Bashar Al Assad’s violent crackdown on protesters during the 2011 uprising, Al Moalem was sanctioned by the US Treasury.

But he remained defiant during the course of the country’s bloody civil war, telling the UN Assembly in 2012 that terrorism in Syria was "externally supported" and was "accompanied by unprecedented media provocation based on igniting religious extremism sponsored by well-known states in the region".

After 2011, these arguments were largely ignored as the government stepped up aerial bombardment of cities and the country's refugee population surpassed 12 million.

As international condemnation of the violence grew, in particular outrage following chemical attacks by government forces - something Mr Al Moalem blamed on rebel groups, Syria faced increasing isolation.

It is expected that Mr Al Moalem will be replaced by Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who is also a staunch supporter of Iran.