DAMASCUS, April 14 (KUNA) -- Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad issued a decree Thursday on the formation of the new government led by Dr. Adel Safar to succeed the government of former Prime Minister Mohammad Naji Otri.
The decree provides for the appointment of Lt. Gen. Ali Habib as the Minister of Defense, Walid Al-Moallem as Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs, Sufian Alao as Minister of Oil and Mineral Wealth, Dr. Emad Abdulghani Al-Sabuni as Minister of Communications and Technology, Dr. Mohammad Abdulsattar Al-Sayed as Minister of Awqaf, and Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji as Minister of Local Administration.
Further, Mansour Fadallah Azzam as Minister of Presidential Affairs, Lamia Marie Aasi as Tourism Minister, Dr. Mohammad Riad Hussein Essmat as Culture Minister, Dr. George Malki Soumi as Irrigation Minister, Taysir Awad as Minister of Justice, Dr. Riad Fareed Hijab as Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Radwan Al-Habib as Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, Dr. Abdulrazeq Sheikh Eissa as Minister of Higher Education, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Sha'ar as Minister of Interior, Dr. Mohammad Al-Jalilati, Dr. Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar as Minister of Economy, Saleh Al-Rashed as Minister of Education.
The cabinet line-up also include Dr. Wael Nader Al-Halki as Minister of Health, Hala Mohammad Al-Nasser as Minister of Housing and Construction, Dr. Faisal Abbas as Minister of Transport, Imad Mohammad Deeb Khamis as Minister of Electricity, Dr. Adnan Hassan Mahmoud as Minister of Information, Adnan Salakho as Minister of Industry, Dr. Kawkab Al-Sabah Daya as State Minister for Environmental Affairs, Youssef Suleiman Ahmad as State Minister, Ghiyath Jaratli as State Minister, Hussein Mahmoud Farazat as State Minister, Joseph Sweid as State Minister, and Hassan Al-Sari as State Minister.
The Syrian President also issued a decree provides for establishment of the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs to replace the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates, while the single phrase of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates will replace the two phrases of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of Expatriates at all implemented legislative and executive texts.
The same decree stipulates that the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs will take over the tasks that were carried out before by the both Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Expatriates in accordance with the implemented legislations, while all rights and funds of the two above-mentioned ministries will be referred to the new ministry.
The same decree provides for, "all property owned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Expatriates is to be only possessed by the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs, while the Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs will supervise the distribution of the permanent employees at the two former ministries to the posts of the new ministry provided that he should keep their salaries and hierarchical order as it is along with their invested interests, and all temporary, and seasonal workers as well as contracted agents of the two former ministries should continue with the same salaries and positions in the newly established ministry." Finally, the decree stipulated that, "Minister of Finance is entitled through agreement with Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs to fuse the budgets of former Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Expatriates in 2011 into one budget under the name of budget of the Ministry of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs. (end) am.aff KUNA 142212 Apr 11NNNN