IRAQ: Iraq's US-appointed governing council named 25 ministers yesterday in a step towards giving Iraqis more say in the running of their occupied country.
The new ministers, most of them little-known, will oversee the day-to-day running of their departments, but there is no prime minister and overall authority remains with US governor Paul Bremer until an elected government is installed.
The council, appointed by Mr Bremer in July and made up of leading Iraqis from across the religious and ethnic spectrum, appointed Mr Ibrahim Bahr al-Uloum, from the Shia Muslim majority, to the key role of Oil Minister.
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) official Mr Hoshyar Zebari was named Foreign Minister, former exile Mr Nouri Badran Interior Minister and Mr Kamel al-Keylani Finance Minister.
Ms Nisreen Brawi will be Minister for Public Works and Mr Abdul Basit Turki was given a new human rights portfolio.
The ministers will be sworn in after today's burial of Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) who was killed in a bombing last week with more than 80 of his followers in the holy city of Najaf.
Persistent violence in Iraq combined with the spiralling cost of the occupation is putting pressure on US President Bush, who faces mounting criticism at home.
Najaf's governor said on Sunday that up to five suspects had been detained over the attack, all of whom had connections with the old power structure of Saddam.
Ayatollah al-Hakim had called for cautious co-operation with the US-led administration, saying it was the best way to ensure a smooth transition to democracy.
But Shia leaders voiced anger about what they see as the failure of the US military to provide security for Iraqis.