2006, when he became vice president of Syria in charge of foreign affairs. This position had been vacant for a year since the departure of Abdul Halim Khaddam. Some saw his appointment as vice president as a demotion, since he was expected to have less of a public role in Syrian politics and to lose contact with many diplomats and world leaders. The vice president in Syria is generally a ceremonial role. However, others believed that Sharaa would now have a greater role in decision-making, since he would be in Syria more often. In the event, Sharaa engaged in high-profile foreign travel as vice president, indicating that his role is envisaged as an active one on the international scene. He will also become the acting president of Syria if President Assad resigns or dies while Sharaa is still vice president. Sharaa met with Pope Benedict XVI in September 2007 to discuss the plight of Iraqi Christian refugees in Syria, the Mideast peace processes, and the role and status of the Church in Syria. Sharaa is the chairman of the "national dialogue" committee in Syria. In 2000 Sharaa was also appointed to the Ba'ath party’s leadership and his term ended in July 2013. Reports of escape Following his absence at a high-level meeting in July 2012, Sharaa was rumored to either be under house-arrest, or to have fled to Jordan. These reports came amidst a wave of fugitives from the Assad government after an increase in violence in the Syrian civil war. However, these reports were proven to be false, since Sharaa represented Bashar al-Assad at the funerals of three senior officials assassinated on 18 July 2012 in Damascus. In mid-August the spokesperson of the Free Syrian Army announced that Sharaa had fled to Jordan. A spokesman for Sharaa denied this report to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). On 26 August 2012, Sharaa appeared in public in Syria for a second time, disproving false reports that he had fled to Jordan. Personal life Sharaa is married and has two children. References External links 1938 births Living people 20th-century Syrian politicians 21st-century Syrian politicians Alumni of the University of London Ambassadors of Syria to Italy Deputy Prime Ministers of Syria Foreign ministers of Syria Members of the Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Syrian ministers of information Syrian ministers of justice Syrian Sunni Muslims Vice presidents