Iranian parliament approves new foreign minister
TEHRAN – Ali Akbar Salehi, the former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, looks set to become the country’s next foreign minister, following the firing of Manuchehr Mottaki in December 2010. The conservative-dominated Iranian Parliament approved the appointment by 146 out of 241 votes, ISA reported.
Salehi was appointed by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on December 13 as foreign minister following Mottaki’s departure after more than five years in service.
Mottaki was the tenth minister that Ahmadinejad has dismissed in the past five years of his presidency. The Foreign Ministry in particular had butted heads with the Iranian president on numerous occasions and stood out against Ahmadinejad’s "radical agenda". Mottaki himself was a rather uninspiring foreign minister, and his firing came as no real surprise, though the back-and-forth around the issue lasted rather longer than expected.
As far as it concerns Salehi, he has little in the way of diplomatic experience, so it remains unclear what is expected from him in this new position.
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