SULEIMAN AL-KHALIDI SYRIA’S long-time foreign minister Walid al-Moalem, an unyielding defender of Syrian President Bashar al Assad's bloody crackdown on peaceful protesters that sparked a decade-old conflict, has died. The government gave no details of the cause of death, but the 79-year-old had been in poor health with heart problems. A source close to the government said it was expected his deputy, veteran diplomat Faisal Mekdad, would replace him as foreign minister. The genial public face of Assad's rule to the outside world, Moalem was branded a traitor by the opposition for supporting the violent crackdown on protesters at the…