Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday announced a cabinet
reshuffle and the list of the new cabinet members has been sent to
parliament for approval, said a statement from the president's
office.
"The list contains 21 names for the 21 ministries with majority
of them are incumbent ministers," a reliable source in Presidency
told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The disclosure was made after President Karzai left for Turkey
Wednesday to attend an international conference on fighting
terrorism.
In the list of new would-be ministers, Foreign Minister has been
replaced by Advisor to President on international affairs Rangeen
Dadfar Spanta.
No portfolio has been set for Abdullah Abdullah in the new
cabinet.
Abdullah Abdullah, a key political leader in the defunct
Northern Alliance which helped the US military to oust Taliban
regime in late 2001, has been an important figure of Karzai's
administration over the past four years.
The incumbent US-educated Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardakhas
maintained his post in the new cabinet while acting Interior
Minister Zara Ahmad Muqbal has been taped as Interior Minister.
The Ministry for Youth Affairs and the Ministry for Disabled and
Matyrs merged with the Information and Culture Ministry and Labor
and Manpower Ministry respectively in the new cabinet.
There are 28 ministries in the sitting cabinet while in the new
one, the source added, it would shrink to 26.
Afghanistan's first ever parliament was inaugurated in September
2005 and the president under the constitution was bound to present
the names of the new cabinet members within a month since the
inauguration of parliament.
Under the procedure drafted by parliamentarians last month, each
nominee for any ministry should get vote of confidence from the
national assembly individually.
(Xinhua News Agency March 23, 2006)
