A government reshuffle in Syria

The Saudi daily Okaz said on Tuesday that a special regional congress of the Baath party will be held after the visit of the Pope to Syria and this congress' agenda has only two articles: to set a plan to modernize the army and raise its preparedness and to make a full ministerial reshuffle.

In a report from Beirut quoting well-informed Syrian sources, the paper added that the change will cover the prime minister and that the main candidate for the post of the prime minister is the deputy premier Muhammad Naji al-Otari, noting that the most prominent names to have ministerial posts is Eyad Gazelle, the current director of the Railways General Establishment.