Syria's foreign minister Walid Muallem dies: state TV
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 started, he was also made deputy prime minister.
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In press conferences, he was known for his 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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