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Afghan President Hamid Karzai has presented parliament with a 16-
strong list of nominees for cabinet posts.
The list includes none of the 17 nominees parliament rejected last
week.
Zalmay Rasul, Mr Karzai’s security advisor, was named as the nominee
for foreign minister, a post left vacant in the first round of voting.
Mr Karzai is hoping to finalise his cabinet before an international
conference on Afghanistan in London later this month.
Second Vice-President Karim Khalili read out the list of 16 nominees
to parliament.
“I request that all the lawmakers think about the national interest of
the country, the current situation of the country and the desires of
the Afghan people and make a good decision,” said Mr Khalili.
Two of the 18 posts – that of the minister for communications and for
water and energy – have been left vacant.
Mr Khalili said those posts would be announced soon, AP reported.
Three of the new nominees were women – the only woman on the first
list was rejected.
The BBC’s Mark Dummet says Mr Karzai has been under increasing
pressure from his foreign backers to finalise the new cabinet and that
it is seen to be efficient, corruption free and ready to tackle
Afghanistan’s many pressing problems.
Growing number of casualties have changed public opinion in the UK and
US in particular, bringing many to question why their armies are
backing a corrupt and disorganised government, says our correspondent.
Western officials have repeatedly emphasised that tackling corruption
is key to stabilising the country, following Mr Karzai’s controversial
re-election last year.