Iraq’s Vice-President Hashimy nominated for Acting Defense Minister’s post, along with his post

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq ’s Vice-President, Tareq al-Hashimy, has been nominated for the post of Acting/Defense Minister, in addition to his post as Vice-President, according to al-Iraqiya Coalition’s Legislature on Tuesday.   “A proposal has been raised by al-Iraqiya Coalition that the Ministry of Defense be steered on Acting bases by Vice-President, Tareq al-Hashimy,” Talal al-Zobae told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Zobae said the above proposal “would ease out the administration of the security cabinet posts, now assigned by Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki,” adding that “al-Iraqiya Coalition would propose a new name for the Defense Minister, to be voted on by the Parliament.”   “It is a very difficult issue for Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, to head three very important ministerial posts, thing that had made it very difficult to name the security cabinet ministers,” he added.   Noteworthy is that differences have taken place since six months about the candidates for the security posts, that are still vacant, especially the posts of Interior and Defense Ministers, the first being the share of the National Coalition, led by Maliki and the second by al-Iraqiya Coalition, led by Iyad Allawi, with each side rejecting the candidate of the other.   Prime Minister Maliki had been heading the security cabinet posts on acting basis, since the formation of the current cabinet, due to non-agreement on candidates for those posts by different political parties.   Hashimy, born 1942, was graduated from Iraq ’s Military Collage in 1962 and got the master degree in military sciences from the Iraqi Military Staff Collage in 1971.   SKH (FT)