Jordan Cabinet reshuffle

Jordan's Prime Minister reshuffled his Cabinet yesterday, appointing new finance, foreign and interior ministers to give himself more scope to tackle social and economic problems, officials said.

The changes were aimed at giving greater cohesion to the Cabinet of Prime Minister Nader Dahabi, appointed in November 2007 with a mandate to accelerate economic reforms. Officials said they were prompted by domestic considerations and were not expected to affect foreign policy.

Pro-reformist Labour Minister Bassem al-Salem, who has strong business credentials, was appointed Finance Minister, replacing Hamad Kassasbeh and sending a strong signal to Jordan's donors and the International Monetary Fund of its commitment to free market reforms. Pro-Western reformist Foreign Minister Salah al-Basheer, who has been a target of criticism by conservatives, was replaced by Nasser Joudeh, a veteran Information Minister and government spokesman.