Five new Iraqi ministers appointed

BAGHDAD, May 9 (UPI) -- Five new cabinet members have been appointed to the fledgling Iraqi government, including senior positions for oil and defense.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari named Saadoun al-Dulaimi, a Sunni Arab researcher, as his defense minister, and Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum, a Shiite petroleum engineer, as oil minister Sunday. Both were approved by 112 of 155 of the deputies present, the Financial Times reported Monday.

Political tensions escalated -- as violence did on the streets -- when Jaafari's did not name a defense minister when he nominated most of the rest of his cabinet a week ago. The wrangling was between Iraq's ruling Shiite-led coalition, of which the prime minister is a member, and politicians representing the Sunni Arab minority. At least 250 people have been killed in a spate of sectarian attacks since the beginning of the month.

Jaafari also named Mohsen Shalash, a Shiite, as electricity minister; Osama al-Nujaifi, a Sunni, as industry minister, and Abed Mutlak al-Jiburi, another Sunni, as one of three deputy prime ministers.