New Kuwaiti cabinet sworn in

Manama: Kuwait's latest cabinet was sworn in on Sunday afternoon at a special ceremony before the Emir Shaikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah.

The newly-appointed cabinet was welcomed at Bayan Palace by Shaikh Sabah in the presence of the Crown Prince Shaikh Nawaf Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah, Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported.

The Prime Minister Shaikh Nasser Al Mohammad Al Sabah presented Shaikh Ahmad Al Humoud Al Jaber Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Dr. Mohammad Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister; and Ahmad Fahad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Housing Affairs and Minister of State for Development Affairs.

The prime minister also presented Dr Mohammad Al Efasi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice and Minister of Social Affairs and Labour; Ali Fahad Rashed Al Rashed, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs; Mustafa Jasem Al Shimali, Minister of Finance; and Dr Fadil Safar Ali Safar, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Municipal Affairs.

The premier also presented Dr Mohammad Al Besairi, Minister of Oil and Minister of State for Parliament Affairs; Dr Hilal Msaed Al Sayer, Minister of Health; Ahmad Abdul Mohsin Al Mlaifi, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education; Dr. Amani Khalid Buresli, Minister of Commerce and Industry; Salem Al Uthayna, Minister of Electricity and Water; Sami Abdelletif Al Nesef, Minister of Information and Minister of Communications and Mohammad Abbas Al Nomes, Minister Endowments Awqaf and Islamic Affairs.

Shaikh Sabah praised the ministers who left the cabinet and congratulated the new cabinet, Kuna said.

In his remarks, the prime minister said that the formation of the new cabinet "comes amid a time of delicate state of affairs both locally and internationally."

The cabinet is the seventh to be led by Shaikh Nasser since 2006. The sixth cabinet resigned in March to avoid the quizzing of three ministers by the particularly vociferous parliament in a fresh round of tension between the government and lawmakers.