till February 13, 1955 when his pro-Western government, hostile to a union with Egypt, was toppled by the parliament. Death In his old age, Faris al-Khury spent more time with his wife, child, and three grandchildren, Faris Jr, Colette, and Samer. He continued to travel to attend annual law conventions in Switzerland, until he fractured his leg and was forced to stay at home for the final two years of his life. On January 2, 1962, the former Syrian prime minister died in Damascus, at the age of 84, ending a career that spanned over 50-years in Syria’s political sphere. He received presidential honors at his funeral as one of the founders of the Syrian Republic, unlike any prime minister before or after him. Making a statement even in death, Muslim community leaders were allowed to recite the Quran during the condolence service. Suheil al-Khury accepted this rare act to show how secular his father had been, and how close he had been to both Muslims and Christians. Faris al-Khoury's death came three months after the dissolution of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria (1958–1961) during which he was an active political opponent. Legal opinions As a typical Syrian nationalist, he considered the territorial transfer of Hatay Province to Turkey by decision of the French government as illegal under international law. For that reason, he also opposed the proposal to declare every unprovoked invasion by armed gangs of another country as criminal under international law, claiming that such gangs often served interests of national liberation of certain territories. However, he considered the refusal of governments parties to a dispute to submit to UN Security Council resolutions as an international crime. References 1877 births 1962 deaths People from Hasbaya Syrian people of Lebanese descent Syrian Christians Syrian nationalists Syrian secularists Prime Ministers of Syria 20th-century Syrian politicians Arabs from the Ottoman Empire American University of Beirut alumni Syrian ministers of finance Syrian ministers of education Speakers of the People's Assembly of Syria Permanent Representatives of Syria to the United Nations National Bloc (Syria) politicians People's Party (Syria) politicians Critics of Arab nationalism Al-Khoury family Syrian Freemasons