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Iranian MPs reject third nominee for oil minister
TEHERAN - Iran’s parliamentarians piled further embarrassment on President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday, overwhelmingly rejecting his third nominee for oil minister of the world’s fourth biggest crude producer.

The second biggest exporter in the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has been rudderless since August, and parliamentary hostility to Ahmadinejad is exposing bitter rifts in the conservative camp.
Hostile? Wasn't he the chosen son?
Out of 254 parliamentarians who cast votes, only 77 voted in favour of Mohsen Tasalloti, a veteran of the petrochemicals industry. Lawmakers heartily congratulated each other when the results of the vote were read out. “This vote of no-confidence should carry a message to Ahmadinejad about his method of choosing his oil ministers,” conservative lawmaker Ali Riaz told Reuters after the vote.

Lawmakers accused Ahmadinejad of only consulting with a small number of his close allies instead of with them. “Ahmadinejad has a slogan of co-operation between parliament and government, but it would be better if he actually conferred with his lawmakers,” Sattar Hedayatkhah said in the debate before the vote. “This delay is wasting Iran’s huge oil and gas assets and damaging its economy,” said Manouchehr Takin from the Centre for Global Energy Studies.

Conservative parliamentarian Kazem Jalali told Reuters a competent manager had to be found soon. “The current situation weakens our stance in OPEC and will diminish our chances of co-operation with foreign companies because it indicates instability,” he said.

Lawmakers rejected Ahmadinejad’s first nominee in August. The second candidate pulled out of the race earlier this month, moments before lawmakers were due to cast their votes.
Posted by: Steve White 2005-11-24
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=135749