GC says president cannot serve as caretaker oil minister

TEHRAN, May 21 (MNA) -- The Guardian Council has announced that the president cannot serve as the caretaker oil minister according to the Constitution, the Fars news agency revealed on Friday.

According to the Guardian Council, the fact that the president has declared himself the caretaker oil minister is in contravention of Article 135 of the Constitution.

However, no further details were given.

The ruling was issued after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Sunday that he would serve as the caretaker oil minister after he dismissed Oil Minister Masoud Mirkazemi, whose ministry is to be merged with the Energy Ministry as part of the administration’s plan to downsize the government.

On Monday, Ahmadinejad chaired a meeting of the Oil Ministry.

In addition, he reportedly plans to personally chair the upcoming OPEC meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Vienna in June 2011, since Iran holds the rotating presidency of the 12-member oil cartel.

However, it is still not clear who will represent Iran in the OPEC meeting.