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| Riyad Hijab is sworn in as new Prime Minister by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (R) in Damascus (Photo: presstv.ir) |
Syria’s new cabinet on Tuesday was sworn in before President Bashar al-Assad, reported Syrian state news agency SANA. New Prime Minister Riyad Farid Hijab announced the establishment of three new ministries including the Ministry of National Reconciliation Affairs, the Ministry of Domestic Trade and the Ministry of Water Resources. Notably, two opposition figures in the new cabinet, Ali Haidar, Minister of National Reconciliation, member of the People's Will Party, and Qadri Jamil, head of the People's Will Party, Minister of the Domestic Trade are perceived by observers as a step in the right direction.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged the new government to make all-out efforts to stamp out the protest movement, while rejecting the West’ demand that he resign from office.
In another development, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has said Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will attend an international seminar in Geneva, Switzerland this Saturday on Syria's conflicts. The seminar is initiated by UN-AL joint envoy Kofi Annan as the last effort towards the political transition in Syria.