Commencing the Cabinet in Iraq

The Iraqi Assembly has approved a cabinet lineup, meaning the long wait for a new Iraqi government is over. Terrorists marked the occasion with a series of bombings killed at least 24 people.

Iraq's parliament finally approved a new national unity government on Saturday, ending months of deadlock as bomb attacks that killed 24 people served a grim reminder of the security challenges it will face.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's cabinet was approved by a show of hands, minister by minister, after a turbulent start to the parliamentary session, when some minority Sunni leaders spoke out against the last-minute deal and several walked out.

Eleventh-hour battles over the key posts of interior and defense left those jobs vacant for now, filled respectively by Maliki, a tough-talking Shi'ite Islamist, and his Sunni deputy premier, Salam al-Zobaie.

The main Sunni Arab leadership, which controls the bulk of the Sunnis' 50-odd seats in the 275-member chamber, held firm after the walkout by the dissidents. Washington hopes their presence at last in a full, sovereign government can draw Saddam Hussein's once dominant minority away from revolt into politics.

The Parliment approved the new ministries, although two ministries - Interior and Defense have only been filled with temporary positions.