Sunni rejects post, Cabinet deal falters

Iraq’s Parliament approved six new ministers on Sunday hoping to fill the political void that has stoked insurgency, but one minister t...

Iraq’s Parliament approved six new ministers on Sunday hoping to fill the political void that has stoked insurgency, but one minister turned down the job, leaving the cabinet still incomplete three months after elections.

Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari had announced the cabinet was almost complete after months of bickering between competing sectarian and ethnic blocs, and vowed to crack down on an escalating insurgency. But proposed human rights minister Hisham al-Shibli said he had been picked purely to placate Iraq’s restive Sunni Arab minority.

‘‘This post was given to me without anyone consulting me. I was surprised when they nominated me. It was just because I am a Sunni,’’ al-Shibli said. ‘‘This is something I reject completely. I am a democratic figure … and I am completely against sectarianism.’’

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The Sunni Arabs dominated Iraq during Saddam Hussein but was sidelined after the elections, when most of them stayed away due to a boycott and fears of insurgent violence. There are only 17 Sunni Arab lawmakers in the 275-member Parliament. Wary of fuelling sectarian and ethnic tension by Sunni Arab guerrillas, the Shia and Kurdish blocs pledged to include several Sunni Arabs in their cabinet. Confusion over the human rights portfolio is the latest embarrassment for Iraq’s leaders, who have infuriated many Iraqis by taking so long to agree a cabinet.

Other appointments announced on Sunday included the important defence and oil ministries. Saadoun al-Dulaimi, a Sunni Arab former military officer with tribal ties to Iraq’s rebellious western Anbar province, was named defence minister.

A Sunni Arab was also appointed to the industry ministry, and a Sunni Arab Deputy PM was named to join Shia and Kurdish deputies already appointed.

A Shia official, Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum, was named oil minister, a key post in the oil-rich nation.

Zarqawi’s key aide captured

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BAGHDAD: Iraq said on Sunday that security forces had captured a key aide to Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A government statement said Amar al-Zubaydi, also known as Abu Abbas, was captured three days ago in Baghdad. —Reuters

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