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Damascus (AFP)
On Sunday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad appointed Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad to succeed Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem, who died earlier this week, the Syrian presidency announced.
The presidency said on its Telegram page that Assad “issues three decrees … to appoint Dr. Faisal Al-Miqdad as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, and Dr. Bashar Al-Jaafari as Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates. Ambassador Bassam Al-Sabbagh has been transferred to the permanent delegation in New York and approved by the permanent representative of the Syrian Arab Republic. ” At the United Nations in New York. “
Al-Moallem died last Monday at the age of 79, after decades of diplomatic work.
Faisal Al-Miqdad, 66, from Daraa, in the south of the country, joined the diplomatic corps in 1994. In 1995, he joined the Syrian delegation to the United Nations, before being appointed in 2003 as the permanent representative of Syria before the United Nations in New York.
In 2006, he returned to Syria after being appointed deputy foreign minister. He worked closely with the teacher and accompanied him in most of his meetings and conferences. As the teacher’s health deteriorated, Al-Miqdad held some press conferences for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In May 2013, gunmen in Daraa kidnapped Al-Miqdad’s father, who was 84, and he was later released in an exchange with gunmen from the opposition.
“Al-Miqdad is a graduate of the same school that Walid Al-Muallem graduated from,” said an employee of the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, noting that “both participated in the management of the Lebanese dossier at the most critical moments of the relationship between the two countries “, especially after the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In 2005, pointing the finger at Damascus.
He described him as a “first-class and quiet reader” and “has excellent relations with the Iranians and the Chinese.”
Al-Miqdad holds a BA in Literature from the University of Damascus in 1978 and a Ph.D. in English Literature from Charles University in Prague in 1993.
Bashar al-Jaafari will assume al-Miqdad’s previous duties, provided he assumes his new post within two months, according to the presidential decree.
Al-Jaafari is the most prominent face of Syrian diplomacy, as he is known for his diplomatic acumen and sophistication after a long experience in the diplomatic corps since joining the Syrian Foreign Ministry in 1980. He held his first post abroad of the country in Paris as diplomatic attache, and rose through various positions until his appointment in 2006, as permanent representative of Syria to the United Nations in New York.
Al-Jaafari led the Syrian government delegations to the rounds of negotiations with the opposition under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva, as well as to the Astana negotiations, which are sponsored by Moscow and Tehran, allies of Damascus, and Turkey. , which supports the opposition.
Ambassador Bassam Al-Sabbagh, Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations office in Vienna, will replace Al-Jaafari in New York.
© 2020 AFP
