New Foreign Minister soon: Manmohan Singh

On Board Air India One, July 18: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said he would "hopefully have a new Foreign Minister soon" but ruled out a reshuffle of his Council of Ministers.

Asked how soon a new Foreign Minister could be appointed, Dr Singh it "can happen anytime." He was talking to reporters who accompanied him to St Petersburg for the summit of G-8 countries and the outreach partners.

Dr Singh has been holding the charge as the External Affairs Minister eversince Mr K Natwar Singh resigned from the Union Cabinet after his name figured in the Volcker Committee report on Iraq's oil-for-food programme in November last year. Early this year, the Prime Minister had inducted Mr Anand Sharma into the External Affairs Ministry as a Minister of State. Mr E Ahamed is the other Minister of State for External Affairs.

To a pointed question on whether there would be any change in the Home Ministry, the Prime Minister said " I am not undertaking any reshuffle."

UNI