3 phases for trimming gov’t down – MP

MISSAN / IraqiNews.com: State of Law MP Mohammed Saadoun al-Sayhood said today that three phases will be implemented to successfully trim the government down from 42 to 25 ministries.  Sayhood told IraqiNews.com that according to the Premier Nouri al-Maliki’a plan, the trimming of the government will have encompass three phases, and ultimately end up with a maximum of 25 ministries.  He pointed out that these phases include eliminating certain ministries, merging ministries that are similarly specialized, and distributing the ministries according to electoral shares.  According to Sayhood, this will require full agreement from all political entities, and an appropriate time-line will need to be established.  Amara city, the center of Missan province, lies 390km south of the capital, Baghdad. RM (TI)/SR 698