The first Iraqi government after Saddam takes constitutional oath today
Iraq, Politics, 9/2/2003

The ministers in the first Iraqi government formed after the collapse of the regime of the toppled Iraqi President Saddam Hussein takes its constitutional oath today ( Tuesday) following the funeral ceremony of the leader of the higher council of the Islamic revolution Muhammad Baqer al-Hakim who was assassinated on Friday.

This government will carry out its assigned missions until the elections scheduled in 2004. It is headed by the member in the Governing Council who assumed the rotating presidency of the council. He is as from today, Ahmed Chalabi, the chairman of the Iraqi National Congress group.

Like the governing council, the Cabinet came as shared among various political forces and parties. It is composed of 13 Shiite ministers, five Sunni, Five Kurds, One Christian and one Turkman. While the Iraqi National Congress led by Chalabi assumed the ministry of finance, the foreign ministry was given to the Kurdistani Democratic party, the ministry of culture to the Communist Party and the ministry of the interior went to the National Reconciliation Movement led by Eyad Allawi.

Noteworthy that no ministries of defense or information or Awqaf (Islamic Trusts) were established. Instead of the latter ( Awqaf), three committees were formed involved with Awqaf of each of the Shiite, the Sunni and other religions.

Among the most prominent Shiite ministers is the oil minister Ibrahim Baher al-Aloum ( 49 year old), the son of member of the governing council Sheikh Muhammad Baher al-Oloum. He has an engineering certificate in oil and minerals from Baghdad University and a PHD in oil engineering from New Mexico University in the USA and worked in al-Rmeileh oil fields, in Kuwait and oil research centers in the USA.

However, oil sources said that there are plans to reestablish "the Iraqi national oil company" which was desolved by Saddam Hussein's government in the 1980s. The sources said that Thamer al-Ghadban who was appointed by the US as an executive official for the sector will keep a senior post in the ministry and will be responsible for technical matters rather than policies.

The former exiled person and the spokesman for the national reconciliation movement Nouri Badren was appointed as a minister of the Interior. Officials explained that Badran will assume the responsibility of supervising the handing over of the internal security gradually from the occupation forces led by the Americans to the Iraqis. He will lead an Iraqi police force of 37,000 members in all parts of Iraq.

Also among the Shiite ministers is the minister of telecommunications Haidar al-Abbadi and the minister of commerce Ali Allawi, planning minister Mahdi al-Hafez, the expert in social and economic affairs and international relations at the UN and the expert at the ministry of oil between 1975- 1979 and a commissioned minister at the Iraqi representation office for the UN in Geneva between 1978- 1980.

The minister of education is Alal Abdul Saheb Alwan, a graduate of the faculty of medicine from Alexandria university. He specialized in Britain.

Mufid Muhammad Jawad al-Jazaeri was appointed as a minister of culture. He has a BA in journalism from Prague, former Czechoslovakia. Abdul Ameer Abboud was appointed as a minister of agriculture. Ali Faeq al-Ghadban as a minister of youths and sports, Khudeir Abbas as a health minister, Hisham Abdul Rahman al-Ghalabi as a minister of justice, Sami Azzara as a minister of social affairs and labor. Muhammad Jasem Khudeir as a minister of expatriates.

The Sunni ministers are the minister of finance Kamel al-Keilani ( 44 year old), Ayham al-Samerai the minister of electricity, the minister of sciences and technology Rashad Mandan Omar the; human rights minister Abdul Baset Turkey and minister of higher education Ziad Abdul Razzaq Muhammad Aswad.

The five Kurds ministers in the government are the foreign minister Hoshiar Muhammad Zeibari ( 50 year old); the water resources minister Abdul Latif Rasheed; minister of industry and minerals Tawqfiq Rahim, the minister of the environment Abdul Rahman Saddiq, the minister of public works Nasreen Mustafa Saddiq al-Barawi, the only woman in the government. She was appointed as a minister for several times in Kurdistan's province.

The Christian minister is the minister of transport Bahnam Paulos ( 59 year old) and the Turkman's minister is that of construction and housing Bayan Baqer Soulagh.

Previous Stories:
  Hakim in interview to Al-Ahram one day before assassination   (9/1/2003)
  Thousands see off al-Hakim in Baghdad and Karbala. Funeral tomorrow in al-Najaf   (9/1/2003)
  International organizations major reduction in presence in Iraq; Occupation forces search Musil for Saddam Hussein   (9/1/2003)

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