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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran president names 11 new cabinet members |
| 2009-08-21 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has unveiled a cabinet boasting 11 new faces, including three women, in a line-up on Thursday slammed as inexperienced by leading lawmakers. The president was due to address the nation to present the new cabinet including a relative novice as oil minister, but is expected to face a tough battle to win parliament's approval. The outcome will be another test of how secure the hardliner's grip is on power in the major oil exporter after his disputed re-election in a June poll that led to street protests and political turmoil. Iranian media reported that Ahmadinejad had submitted a list of 18 ministers to the assembly the previous evening, meeting a midnight deadline, but there was no immediate confirmation of this from parliament. The nominated ministers included current Commerce Minister Massoud Mirkazemi as the new oil minister, a key position since crude sales account for most state revenue. He is seen as an Ahmadinejad ally but has little known oil industry experience. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki would retain his job and three women would become ministers for health, social welfare and education respectively. It would be the first time a woman becomes minister in the conservative Islamic Republic. |
| Posted by:Fred |