Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Wael al-Halqi as Syria’s new premier

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed Wael al-Halqi as Syria's new premier, state television reported on Thursday.
  
"The president has signed Decree 298, appointing Wael al-Halqi as the new prime minister," the broadcaster reported. Health Minister Halqi was appointed to replace Riad Hijab, whose defection to the so-called opposition was announced on Monday.
  
The former premier arrived on Wednesday morning in Jordan with his family, according to Jordanian Information Minister Samih Maayatah. "Hijab and members of his family entered Jordan during the early hours of Wednesday," Maayatah told AFP without elaborating.