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Iraq cabinet approved, minister quits
The Iraqi parliament has approved appointments for six cabinet vacancies, handing four more positions to the Sunni Arab minority.
But the Sunni selected as human rights minister turned down the job, saying he cannot accept a position awarded on sectarian criteria.
Less than half of the National Assembly, 112 of the 155 legislators present, approved Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's six nominations on Sunday, including Shia Arab Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum as oil minister and Sunni military man Saadoun al-Duleimi as defence minister.
The other four designated ministers were Hashim Abdul-Rahman al-Shibli, a Sunni, as human rights minister; Mihsin Shlash, a Shia, as electricity minister; Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, as industry minister; and Abed Mutlak al-Jiburi, a Sunni, as a deputy prime minister.
However, al-Shibli told a news briefing that he could not accept his appointment.
"Concentrating on sectarian identities leads to divisions in the society and state, and for that reason I respectfully decline the post," al-Shibli said.
Reasons for refusal
Speaking to Aljazeera from Baghdad, al-Shibli explained that there were two reasons for refusing to accept the post.
"Firstly, I was surprised being assigned to assume the post of Human Rights Minister since I was not asked before the announcment
"But secondly, I have been appointed to represent the Sunni Arabs - a matter that contradicts my thoughts, beliefs and principles."
The new government, most of which was sworn in last week, includes 17 Shia ministers, eight Kurds, six Sunnis and a Christian.
Three deputy premiers have also been named, one each for the Shia, Sunnis and Kurds.
A fourth deputy premiership remains vacant; al-Jaafari has said he hopes to appoint a woman to the position.
"All sectors of Iraq"
Addressing the media after the vote, al-Jaafari said the long wait for a new government was not in vain.
"The need to represent all sectors of Iraq was the reason for the delay," he said.
"Dialogue and assessments were given good time so that the ministers would be supported by the majority of the National Assembly." He added.
President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents signed off on the names before they were submitted to the 270-member National Assembly for a vote.
Aljazeera + Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1D0BF901-5229-49F2-B500-0E44A90F5E27.htm
Iraq's parliament has approved the key post of defence minister in the cabinet led by Ibrahim Jaafari.
Saadoun al-Dulaimi, a Sunni Arab, was one of six new ministers approved three months after the Iraqi election.
It is hoped that with credible Sunnis on board, the government will be able to rob the insurgency of any support it enjoys among the disaffected minority.
Moments after the vote, however, Hashim al-Shible, a Sunni Arab, turned down the post of human rights minister.
Mr Shible told the BBC that he had not been consulted about his last minute nomination and that he did not want to take on a post purely on the basis of his ethnicity.
His refusal was yet another embarrassment for Mr Jaafari, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad.
It also means further delay before he will be free to focus without distraction on the challenges facing his government.
There has been an upsurge in violence around the country since the formation of the government in late April.
At least 250 people have died.
In other developments:
* seven American soldiers are killed in a series of bomb attacks over the weekend, the US military says
* a senior civil servant from the transport ministry, Zobaa Yassin, is shot dead in his car with his driver
* US-led forces kill six and arrest 54 suspected insurgents near the Syrian border
* the Iraqi government says it has captured Amar al-Zubaydi, describing him as an aide to al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
'Woman sought'
The most sensitive positions filled on Sunday were the defence and oil portfolios.
Mr Dulaimi's family has its roots in the western al-Anbar province - the heartland of the anti-US insurgency led by Sunnis.
A former officer in Saddam Hussein's army, he is a respected psychologist and statistician who has spent many years abroad and was active in the opposition to Saddam Hussein. Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum, a Shia, fills the oil ministry portfolio.
Mr Jaafari indicated that he was seeking a woman to fill a final position in his cabinet - a deputy prime minister.
It remains unclear who will fill the position of human rights minister, following Mr Shible's refusal to take on the post.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4527685.stm
Less than half of the National Assembly, 112 of the 155 legislators present, approved Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's six nominations on Sunday, including Shia Arab Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum as oil minister and Sunni military man Saadoun al-Duleimi as defence minister.
The other four designated ministers were Hashim Abdul-Rahman al-Shibli, a Sunni, as human rights minister; Mihsin Shlash, a Shia, as electricity minister; Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, as industry minister; and Abed Mutlak al-Jiburi, a Sunni, as a deputy prime minister.
However, al-Shibli told a news briefing that he could not accept his appointment.
"Concentrating on sectarian identities leads to divisions in the society and state, and for that reason I respectfully decline the post," al-Shibli said.
Reasons for refusal
Speaking to Aljazeera from Baghdad, al-Shibli explained that there were two reasons for refusing to accept the post.
"Firstly, I was surprised being assigned to assume the post of Human Rights Minister since I was not asked before the announcment
"But secondly, I have been appointed to represent the Sunni Arabs - a matter that contradicts my thoughts, beliefs and principles."
The new government, most of which was sworn in last week, includes 17 Shia ministers, eight Kurds, six Sunnis and a Christian.
Three deputy premiers have also been named, one each for the Shia, Sunnis and Kurds.
A fourth deputy premiership remains vacant; al-Jaafari has said he hopes to appoint a woman to the position.
"All sectors of Iraq"
Addressing the media after the vote, al-Jaafari said the long wait for a new government was not in vain.
"The need to represent all sectors of Iraq was the reason for the delay," he said.
"Dialogue and assessments were given good time so that the ministers would be supported by the majority of the National Assembly." He added.
President Jalal Talabani and his two vice presidents signed off on the names before they were submitted to the 270-member National Assembly for a vote.
Aljazeera + Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1D0BF901-5229-49F2-B500-0E44A90F5E27.htm
Iraq's parliament has approved the key post of defence minister in the cabinet led by Ibrahim Jaafari.
Saadoun al-Dulaimi, a Sunni Arab, was one of six new ministers approved three months after the Iraqi election.
It is hoped that with credible Sunnis on board, the government will be able to rob the insurgency of any support it enjoys among the disaffected minority.
Moments after the vote, however, Hashim al-Shible, a Sunni Arab, turned down the post of human rights minister.
Mr Shible told the BBC that he had not been consulted about his last minute nomination and that he did not want to take on a post purely on the basis of his ethnicity.
His refusal was yet another embarrassment for Mr Jaafari, says the BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad.
It also means further delay before he will be free to focus without distraction on the challenges facing his government.
There has been an upsurge in violence around the country since the formation of the government in late April.
At least 250 people have died.
In other developments:
* seven American soldiers are killed in a series of bomb attacks over the weekend, the US military says
* a senior civil servant from the transport ministry, Zobaa Yassin, is shot dead in his car with his driver
* US-led forces kill six and arrest 54 suspected insurgents near the Syrian border
* the Iraqi government says it has captured Amar al-Zubaydi, describing him as an aide to al-Qaeda militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
'Woman sought'
The most sensitive positions filled on Sunday were the defence and oil portfolios.
Mr Dulaimi's family has its roots in the western al-Anbar province - the heartland of the anti-US insurgency led by Sunnis.
A former officer in Saddam Hussein's army, he is a respected psychologist and statistician who has spent many years abroad and was active in the opposition to Saddam Hussein. Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum, a Shia, fills the oil ministry portfolio.
Mr Jaafari indicated that he was seeking a woman to fill a final position in his cabinet - a deputy prime minister.
It remains unclear who will fill the position of human rights minister, following Mr Shible's refusal to take on the post.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4527685.stm
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