Syrian cabinet reshuffled to boost economy

Syrian cabinet reshuffled to boost economy
Sat Feb 9, 2013 22:09:43

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has reshuffled his Cabinet, appointing seven new ministers, in a bid to boost the country’s badly-hit economy.

President Assad replaced the heads of the oil, finance, social affairs, labour, housing, public works and agriculture ministries, in his bid to shore up the economy, State TV said on Saturday.
 
 
Key security ministries such as defence and interior, which are on the front lines of the country’s unrest, remained unchanged.
 
Syria's economy has been devastated by the conflict, which has left major cities in ruins and gutted the nation's industries. Power outages are common and Syrians in some areas must stand in hours-long lines for bread and gasoline.
 
The latest development came as government warplanes launched airstrikes around Damascus, as clashes raged between the government forces and armed terror gangs.
 
Air raids were reported in the town of Zamalka to the east, Douma to the northeast, and there were multiple strikes on the Eastern Ghuta region that runs along the eastern belt of the capital.
 
Warplanes also raided the town of Sabineh just south of Damascus, alongside the highway that leads to Daraa province and the town of Moadamiyet al-Sham to the southwest.
 
Fierce clashes broke out between terrorists and the government forces in the embattled town of Daraya, as the army shelled insurgent positions there, activists said.
 
Fighting also raged in the eastern Jobar district, after a heavy explosion was heard overnight in Rokn Eddin in the north, where terrorists reportedly attacked an army checkpoint.
 
Pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said the army was "determined to crush terrorism around the capital and in big cities".

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