KING ABDULLAH SWEARS IN NEW CABINET

UNCLAS AMMAN 002890

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PINR KDEM PHUM PREL ECON JO PBIO
SUBJECT: KING ABDULLAH SWEARS IN NEW CABINET

REF: A. AMMAN 2851

B. AMMAN 2826


1. (U) King Abdullah swore in a new cabinet under
recently-appointed Prime Minister Adnan Badran on April 7
(refs). Of the 26 ministers (counting Badran),only 11 are
hold-overs from the previous cabinet, and four of those have
shifted to new ministries. New Deputy Prime Minister Hisham
al-Tel adds to his portfolio the Ministry of Political
Development. Asma Khader will remain Minister of Culture but
loses her title as GOJ spokesperson; no replacement has yet
been named. As in the cabinet of ex-PM Fayez, four women
occupy ministerial positions. Complete bios of the new
ministers and analysis will follow septel.


2. (U) Members of the new cabinet are:

Prime Minister and Defense Minister Dr. Adnan Badran

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs
and Political Development Hisham al-Tel

Minister of Finance Bassem Awadallah (resigned as Minister of
Planning in Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Social Development Abdullah al-Uwaidat

Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs Abdel Salam al-Abaddi

Minister of Municipal Affairs Tawfiq Kureishan

Minister of Education and Higher Education and Scientific
Research Khalid Touqan (carry-over from Fayez cabinet)

Minister of State for Legal Affairs Abed al-Shakhanbeh

Minister of State for Observing Government Performance Salah
al-Bashir (former Minister of Justice under Fayez)

Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Alia Hatough-Bouran
(carry-over from Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Azmi Khreisat
(carry-over from Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Water and Irrigation Ra'ed Abu al-Saud (former
Minister of Public Works and Housing in Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Culture Asma Khader (carry-over from Fayez
cabinet)

Minister of Health Sa'id Darwazeh (carry-over from Fayez
cabinet)

Minister of Agriculture Yusef al-Shureiqi (former Minister of
Environment in Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology
Nadia Sa'id (carry-over from Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Transport Saud Nuseirat (carry-over from Fayez
cabinet)

Minister of State for Development of the Public Sector Taysir
al-Smadi (former Minister of Planning in Fayez cabinet)

Minister of Justice Muhammad Ali al-'Alawneh

Minister of Interior Awni Yarfas

Minister of Foreign Affairs Farouq al-Qasrawi

Minister of Public Works and Housing Yusef Hiyasat

Minister of Industry and Trade Sharif al-Zoubi

Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suheir
al-Ali

Minister of Environment Khalid al-Irani

Minister of Labor Bassem al-Salim


3. (U) Minimize considered.

Please visit Embassy Amman's classified web site at
http://www.state.sgov/p/nea/amman/ or access the site through
the Department of State's SIPRNET home page.
HALE