Walid Muallem

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Walid Muallem
وليد المعلم
Deputy Prime Minister of Syria
Incumbent
Assumed office
23 June 2012
Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab
Wael Nader al-Halqi
Preceded by Abdullah al-Dardari
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates
Incumbent
Assumed office
14 April 2011
Prime Minister Adel Safar
Riyad Farid Hijab
Wael Nader al-Halqi
Preceded by Himself (as Minister of Foreign Affairs)
Joseph Sweid (as Minister of Expatriates)
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
21 February 2006 – 29 March 2011
Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-Otari
Preceded by Farouk al-Sharaa
Succeeded by Himself (as Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates)
Ambassador of Syria to the United States
In office
1 January 1990 – 31 December 2000
President Hafez al-Assad
Preceded by Rafic Jouejati
Succeeded by Rustum Al-Zubi
Personal details
Born (1941-01-13) January 13, 1941 (age 72)
Damascus, Syria
Political party Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party

Walid Mohi Edine al Muallem[1] (Arabic: وليد محيي الدين المعلم‎; born 13 January 1941) is a Syrian diplomat and Baath Party member who has served as Foreign Minister between 21 February 2006 and 29 March 2011, and again from 14 April 2011 to the present.

Contents

Early life and education

Walid Muallem was born into a Sunni family on 13 January 1941 in Damascus.[2] He received primary and secondary education in public schools from 1948 to 1960. Then he obtained a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Cairo University in 1963.[3]

Career

Muallem is a member of the Baath Party.[4] Muallem began his career at foreign ministry in 1964 and served in Syrian missions to Tanzania, Saudi Arabia, Spain and England.[1] He served as Syria's Ambassador to Romania from 1975 to 1980. Next he became the head of authentication and translation department at the foreign ministry in 1980 and his term ended in 1984.[1] Later he served as the head of private offices department from 1984 to 1990. After serving as Syria's ambassador to the United States from 1990 to 2000, Muallem was named as assistant foreign minister in 2000. He was appointed deputy foreign minister in 2005[3] and given the Lebanese file by president Bashar Assad.[5]

He was appointed as minister of foreign affairs on 11 February 2006 during a cabinet reshuffle in which his predecessor Farouk al-Sharaa became vice-president.[1][6] Moallem stated in August 2006, "I am ready to be one of Hassan Nasrallahʹs soldiers."[7] He also stated that Syria has a special relationship with Iran.[7] He was involved in Israeli-Syrian negotiations, both before and during his tenure as foreign minister.[8]

2011 Syrian civil war

During the 2011 Syrian civil war, Muallem represented the Syrian government in relations with other national governments and the United Nations. He also held frequent press conferences with Syrian and Arab media outlets.[9] In August 2012, Muallem gave his first interview with a Western journalist since the start of the civil war, in English, referring to foreign intervention as "international terrorism" and stating the government's position that the United States was "the major player against Syria" as the U.S. sought to contain Iran. He also denied the existence of the Shabiha, pro-government, paid militiamen alleged to have committed atrocities early on during the civil war.[10]

In October 2012, after United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon urged Syria to show compassion in light of the growing humanitarian crisis, Muallem appeared at the United Nations and blamed the United States, France, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar for "aid[ing] terror" and "blatant interference" in Syria's affairs, mainly by supplying rebel groups with arms and money calling for Bashar Al Assad to step down.[11][12] He called Western concerns over chemical weapons use "a joke" and a pretext for an Iraq War-like campaign.[13] Later that month, Muallem also rejected calls by Ban to declare a unilateral ceasefire, insisting that governments that "finance, train and deliver weapons to the armed groups, notably Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey" be stopped.[14] In December 2012, he further blamed United States and European Union sanctions for the suffering in Syria.[15]

In January 2013, after United Nations and Arab League envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said Bashar Al Assad should not take part in a transitional government, Muallem called on opposition groups to join a new cabinet under Al Assad, so long as they "reject foreign intervention."[16]

Personal life

Muallem is married with three children.[3]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "His Excellency Walid Muhi Eddine Moallem". Arab Decision. Retrieved 9 February 2013. 
  2. ^ "Major cabinet reshuffle". Wikileaks. 13 February 2006. Retrieved 25 March 2013. 
  3. ^ a b c "Walid al Muallem". SANA. Retrieved 22 July 2012. 
  4. ^ Moubayed, Sami (26 May - 1 June 2005). "The faint smell of jasmine". Al Ahram Weekly 744. Retrieved 2 March 2013. 
  5. ^ Robert G. Rabil (2006). Syria, The United States, and the War on Terror in the Middle East. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 191. ISBN 978-0-275-99015-2. Retrieved 8 March 2013. 
  6. ^ "Assad keeps Moualem as foreign minister in new govt". Reuters (Amman). 14 April 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2013. 
  7. ^ a b Syria. Brokering Hate on Israel's Border (PDF). American Jewish Committee. August 2006. p. 12. Retrieved 9 March 2013. 
  8. ^ "Interview: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem". Foreign Policy. 10 June 2009. 
  9. ^ Mukkaled, Diana (3 December 2011). "Walid Muallem: A mistake or a masterstroke?". Al Arabiya. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  10. ^ Fisk, Robert (28 August 2012). "Exclusive: 'We believe that the USA is the major player against Syria and the rest are its instruments'". Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  11. ^ "States backing Syria rebels 'aid terror' - Walid Muallem". BBC News. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  12. ^ "Ban Urges Syria to Show 'Compassion' to Its People". Nahar Net online. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  13. ^ "U.S. wants to repeat Iraqi chemical weapons scenario in Syria: Muallem". Al Arabiya. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  14. ^ "Damascus rejects UN chief call for unilateral ceasefire". The Daily Star. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  15. ^ "Muallem Says 'Sanctions behind Syrians' Suffering'". Naharnet. 15 December 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 
  16. ^ "Syria crisis: Foreign Minister Muallem calls for talks". BBC News. 19 January 2013. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 

External links

Political offices
Preceded by
Farouk al-Sharaa		 Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Syria
2006-present		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
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