BAGHDAD, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Special Envoy to Iraq Jan Kubis on Thursday welcomed the parliament approval of new Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and his cabinet, and urged him to work hard to meet the aspirations of the people of Iraq.
A statement issued by the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) quoted Kubis as saying that "I welcome the partial formation of the new cabinet of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, and congratulate the people of Iraq on achieving this important step in their democratic transformation. I do hope that this process will be completed as soon as possible."
Kubis also hailed former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his government which led the battles to free the Iraqi soil from the extremist militants of Islamic state (IS), also known as Daesh, and preserved the unity of Iraq.
Meanwhile, Kubis urged the new government to "work hard to meet the aspirations and expectations of the Iraqi people, in consolidating security and law and order; in delivering on public services; in rejuvenating the country's economy to create job opportunities for the increasingly young population; and in providing for the return of internal displaced people and reconstruction."
However, Kubis said that he is disappointed about the lack of representation of women in the new cabinet saying "ignoring their potential is to miss important opportunities for Iraq."
UNAMI statement came a day after Mahdi was sworn in as the new prime minister of Iraq after the parliament passed 14 out of his 22 cabinet members.
Among the new ministers, Mohammed Ali al-Hakim was approved as foreign minister, Fuad Hussein as finance minister and Thamir al-Ghadhban as oil minister.
But differences among the political blocs prevented the approval of eight other portfolios including the security ministries of defense and interior.
The parliament also approved Mahdi's government's program, which included strengthening of internal and external security through law enforcement, anti-terrorism and efforts to fight corruption.
The program also focuses on the rule of law by ending chaos, controlling the spread of weapons to protect citizens, and addressing the outstanding issues between Baghdad and semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan.
