Government reshuffling starts

The talk about the impending major restructuring in the government appears to be coming true at last, as presidential decrees setting up new ministries and abolishing some of the old ones were published Thursday.

The president has established the Ministry of Fuel and Energy, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Tourism, the State Land and Mapping Committee.

Among the abolished entities are the Ministry for Press and Publication, the council for foreign tourism under the Cabinet of Ministers, state committee on inter-ethnic affairs, the state insurance surveillance committee under the Cabinet of Ministers, whose functions have been transferred to the Ministry of Finance, the state land committee, and the state committee for geodesy and mapping.

The President has also dismissed chairmen of the executive power committees of Astara, Goychay and Salyan provinces of Azerbaijan.

The Ministry of Fuel and Energy, which will supervise over SOCAR, "AzerEnergy" and "AzeriGas", will be led by Majid Karimov, former director of the "GiproMorNeftGas" Institute.

Abulfas Garayev, former minister for youth and sports, will now lead the Ministry for Youth, Sports and Tourism, while the State Land and Mapping Committee will be chaired by Garib Mammadov, ex-chairman of the State Land Committee.

Responsibilities of the State Committee for Utilities under the Cabinet of Ministers have been transferred to the state committee for construction and architecture. Former head of the Committee Shayir Hasanov has been appointed as chairman of the new state committee.

Also liquidated has been the "AzerKinoVideo" association, whose functions will from now onwards be executed by the Ministry of Culture.

Religious affairs council: to be or not to be?

According to an informed source, a religious affairs council will be set up under the President's office. The head of the council will also be the President's adviser.

The council is expected to regulate relations between the state and religion.

Experts say establishment of such a council had been planned on long ago, in particular in the wake of the rising commercialization of mosques.

The trouble is that neither the head of the Caucasus clerical office nor an authorized Cabinet of Ministers official has the credentials to control over mosques and religious communities.

A resolution giving independence to mosques was adopted back in the Popular Front rule, which inevitably led to numerous abuses.

For example, many mosques and sacrosanct places have actually been privatized. Their owners have invested in them and are now trying to make mosques profitable.

Another portion of mosques is supported by various Muslim sects, because they were once built at their expense. The same holds true for the sites of other confessions, missionary organizations active in Azerbaijan. Their activity contradicts the law on religion, but the absence of a supervisory body makes any control impossible.

It is therefore expected that the post of an authorized government representative for religious affairs, which has existed since Soviet times, will be eliminated and a new council set up under the President's office.

Opposition alarmed

The Musavat Chairman Isa Gambar and chairman of the party's economic commission Gubad Ibadoglu have divulged their suggestions on new Regulations and Structure of the Cabinet of Ministers.

Mr. Ibadoglu said the party-proposed administrative reform program calls for the establishment of 12 ministries, 6 committees, 10 agencies and 7 services in lieu of the existing 14 ministries, 18 committees, around 100 state companies, concerns, councils, commissions, etc.

Besides, the program envisions to retain 5 ministries and 2 departments directly responsible to the President.

Based on the proposal, there would be 4 vice-premiers, while ministers for finance and for economic development and trade would be equal in rank to vice-premiers.

Isa Gambar said Musavat is well ahead of all other political parties for the number of documents, programs and draft laws it has prepared. The economic commission alone has prepared 12 such documents, he said.