Iraq's Governing Council declared the names of the 24 persons, who will serve as ministers until elections are held. Meanwhile, the mass funeral march for Ayatollah Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim continued Monday its three-day course towards it final resting place.
Iraq's new cabinet is divided up among the nation's various communities, with 13 ministries going to Muslim Shiites, five to Sunnis, five to Kurds, one to Turkmen and one to the Christians, the AFP reported.
Each ministry will continue to be supervised by an American advisor. Elections are scheduled to be held some time next year.
The oil ministry goes to Shiite Ibrahim Mohammad Bahr al-Ulum, and the interior minister post will be held by another Shiite, Nuri Badran.
The foreign affairs portfolio will go to a Kurd, Hoshiar al-Zibari, while finance goes to a Sunni, Kamel al-Kailani.
The new interim government will not have defence, intelligence or religious affairs ministries, nor will there be a prime minister.
In Karbala, a Muslim holy city some 80 kilometres south of Baghdad, thousands gathered to mourn Ayatollah Hakim. His remains arrived there Sunday evening from Baghdad.
Mourners from across Iraq and neighbouring Iran started filing into the Al-Abbas shrine in Karbala at dawn to pay their final respects to their leader.
The funeral procession was expected to head southeast to Hilla later Monday, then further south to another holy city, Kufah. Hakim will be buried Tuesday in nearby Najaf. (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
