Bahrain ministers sworn in

Seven ministers, including the second woman to join the Cabinet, were sworn in before His Majesty King Hamad Bin Eisa Al Khalifa yesterday, who appealed to them to focus their efforts on improving Bahrain's economic and social conditions.

"The king also called for enhancing and boosting the progressive march of the kingdom in the different fields," the Bahrain news agency, BNA, reported.

According to a Royal Decree issued on Friday, five ministers have taken over other ministries and two new faces were inducted in a major reshuffle in the two-year old Cabinet. Also, five long-time ministers left their posts.

The seven ministers who were sworn in yesterday are Ali Al Saleh, who moved from the Commerce to the Municipalities and Agriculture; Dr Mohammad Ali Al Sitri who moved from the Municipalities and Agriculture to the Justice; Dr Mohammad Abdul Gaffar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, also gets the Information portfolio; Dr Hassan Abdullah Fakhro, who added Commerce to his Industry ministry; State Minister Abdul Hussain Mirza who has been appointed as Minister for Cabinet Affairs; Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Khalifa, the new Finance Minister and Dr Fatima Al Buloushi, the new Minister of Social Affairs.

Al Buloushi, the dean of the education college at the University of Bahrain, became the second woman minister in the Cabinet, joined by Dr Nada Hafadh, Minister of Health, who was appointed in April last year.

In statements published yesterday, the new Social Affairs Minister said her appointment reflected "the belief of the leadership in the competence of the Bahraini women" and a strong indication of the equality between men and women in the kingdom.

Hundreds of civic society groups have come under the jurisdiction of Al Buloushi.

"We will do our best to strengthen the government's role in developing the civic society institutions and consolidating the role they play in Bahraini society," said Al Buloushi, a graduate from Canadian and US universities, and a mother of four.

In a statement, a copy of which was sent to Gulf News, Shaikha Sabika Bint Ebrahim Al Khalifa, wife of King Hamad and chairwoman of the Supreme Council for Women, congratulated Al Buloushi and said the appointment "has made Bahraini women proud and more determined to strengthen their participation in the national development process".

She appealed to the new minister to "present a shining image of the growing role of Bahraini women as an active partner in the reform projects."

Meanwhile, sources at the Ministry of State for Foreign Affairs told Gulf News that the addition of the Information portfolio under the minister Dr Mohammad Abdul Gaffar was "temporary" since the portfolio is about to be abolished altogether and its current responsibilities broken up into a number of state commissions, including the Tourism Authority, the Culture and Heritage Authority and the Television and Radio Authority.

"The process could take at least eight months," the sources said.

They also pointed out that the plan was drawn up by former minister Nabeel Al Hamer, who was appointed on Friday as a media adviser to the King Hamad.

The Foreign Media Directorate, currently headed by assistant undersecretary Shaikh Khalifa Bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, is expected to move to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sources said.

The move to abolish the Information portfolio is in line with the on-going reforms, the sources said.

The Cabinet

List of Ministers and portfolios, including the new ministers who joined Cabinet yesterday.