Oil minister’s answers convincing, says lawmaker

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: MP from the Iraqi Accord Front (IAF), Rashied Azzawi, said on Wednesday that Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahrestani’s answers during the parliament’s session were convincing. “Al-Shahrestani’s answers during the session that was held on Tuesday (Nov. 10) were convincing as he answered seven questions out of the total 30 questions presented during the session,” al-Azzawi told IraqiNews.com news agency. “There were only 65 lawmakers in yesterday’s session, forcing the parliament’s chairmanship to postpone the session until today for lack of quorum,” he explained. During a press conference on Monday (Nov. 9), MP Haydar al-Jourani from the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) said that the Council of Representatives had agreed to a request presented by al-Shahrestani to question him on Tuesday (Nov. 10) instead of Wednesday (Nov. 11), denying that the minister had gone to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. The chairman of the parliamentary Commission on Public Integrity (CPI), Sabah al-Saedi, had called on Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to fight corruption in the Oil Ministry. SH (P) 1