Rudaw.net

BAGHDAD – The Iraqi Parliament voted to approve key nominations to the new government of of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, with veteran former foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari confirmed as finance minister.

Kurdish parties agreed this week to name their candidates for cabinet posts, a move that had been delayed by disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.

Iraq’s politicians have been under pressure from the United States and other allies to form an inclusive government to confront the challenge to Iraq from Islamic State fighters.

In a major step forward, Parliament approved Abadi’s picks as defence and interior ministers, two portfolios that had previously been held by the outgoing Shia prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, widely criticized for sectarian policies that enflamed the country’s Sunni minority.

That in turn is seen as having pushed many Sunnis to embrace the ISIS takeover of much of Sunni-populated western Iraq since June.

The Parliament approved Mohamed Salem al-Ghabban, a Shia member of Abadi's State of Law political bloc, as minister of interior. Khaled al-Obeidi, a Sunni parliamentarian from Mosul, occupied by ISIS since June, was chosen as defence minister.

Parliament had previously rejected Abadi’s earlier choices for the two key interior and defence posts, although most other ministers were approved on September 8 when Abadi himself was approved.

Among Kurdish ministers approved on Saturday was Rowsch Shaways as deputy prime minister, and Bayan Nouri, a woman named to head the ministry of women’s affairs.

The five largest parties from the Kurdish bloc met on Monday in Erbil to decide who would fill ministerial positions.

Zebari’s finance portfolio in Baghdad will give him oversight of national finances at a time when Baghdad is still locked in a dispute over Kurdish independent oil sales and budget allocations to the Kurdistan Region.

One provision set by the Kurds is that their continued participation in the government will depend on Baghdad meeting their conditions on settling these disputes.