Karzai Swears in New Afghan Cabinet

The Afghan transitional government was sworn in by President Hamid Karzai at a ceremony held in the presidential palace on Monday.

Mahboba Huquqmal, former vice-chairperson of Special Commissionof the Loya Jirga, was appointed by Karzai as the new Minister of Women Affairs.

Karzai said that he could not contact Huquqmal because she was in Islamabad and that Huquqmal had not yet accepted his offer.

At the ceremony, Karzai announced that former Minister of Tourism Zalmay Rassoul will take the post of internal security advisor to the president.

Attending the swear-in ceremony were 27 cabinet members. U.N. special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, EU special representative Klaus-Peter Klaiber, Chinese Ambassador Sun Yuxi and ambassadors from other countries attended the ceremony.

Besides the minister of women affairs, Minister of Information and Culture Raheen Makhdoom, Minister of Mines and Industries JumaMohammad Mohammadi, Minister of Uurban Development Mohammad Yousouf Pushton, Vice-President and Minister of Public Works Haji Abul Qadeer, were also absent at the ceremony.

Mohammad Yunus Qanooni, who resigned his post of interior minister at the Loya Jirga meeting, said before the opening of theceremony that he would accept the post of education minister. Buthe will establish a new political party outside the government.

The minister of justice has not yet been announced by Karzai. However, Noor-i, a press officer of the Foreign Ministry, said former Minister of Justice, Abdul Rahim Karimi, will still occupy the post.

(Xinhua News Agency June 25, 2002)