Muscat: Sultan Qaboos replaces two ministers

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Muscat: Sultan Qaboos replaces two ministers

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Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said replaced two key ministers on Saturday in response to protests across the country, calling for political reforms and jobs.

06 March,2011 07:59 am

General Sultan bin Mohammed al-Naamani was appointed minister of the palace office, which controls the country’s security, and Khalid bin Hilal al-Busaidy has become new minister for the royal court, Oman s state news agency said, citing royal decrees. The appointments replace General Ali bin Majid and Ali bin Hamoud, the statement said.About 200 protesters gathered in the capital Muscat on Saturday at the headquarters of the Shura Council, a quasi-parliamentary advisory body, for a seventh consecutive day, while some 150 government supporters waved Omani flags from their cars. Unrest in the normally tranquil oil-producing state, ruled by Sultan Qaboos for four decades, follows a wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world.