BAGHDAD, April 26: Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ibrahim Jaafari handed President Jalal Talabani his proposed cabinet list on Tuesday, state television reported, after nearly three months of protracted consultations which tested Washington’s patience.

Mr Jaafari also unveiled the 12-member cabinet before a restricted meeting of his winning United Iraqi Alliance (UIA).

A senior member of the Shia-dominated alliance, Jawad Maliki, said: “There are still problems in deciding who will hold the oil and interior ministries.”

According to Iraqiya television, Sadoun Dulaimi, a Sunni, was named as defence minister.

Politicians had previously said the defence portfolio would go to a Sunni in an attempt to reach out to those who boycotted the Jan 30 election.

In addition, Mr Jaafari has named three deputy premiers in an attempt to spread power among the country’s ethnic groups.

Roj Nuri Shaways, a Kurd, former Pentagon favourite Ahmed Chalabi, and Sunni MP Saad al Lehebi were all named as deputy premiers.

Mr Jaafari’s list includes several outgoing ministers remaining in their posts, including Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, as foreign minister and Nasreen Mustafa Barwari as minister of public works.

In addition, Sami al Majoun was named minister of justice and Ali Abdul Amir Allawi minister of finance, according to a partial list provided by the television.

Supporters of outgoing Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular pro-Western Shia, were not expected to participate in the new government after Mr Jaafari rejected their terms.

Three Sunni members of the UIA said they were withdrawing from the list, which holds 146 seats in the 275-member parliament, for being too “sectarian”, Mudher Shawket, one of the three, said.

The news of the cabinet list being handed to Mr Talabani came after Washington expressed fear that the continuing deadlock was squandering the political momentum toward democracy created by the successful election.

“I think everybody believes that the Iraqi people now deserve a government, given that they took (a) risk to vote,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

“We’ve had opportunities to represent those views to a number of Iraqi leaders,” she said. “And we’re going to continue to say that it is important to keep momentum in the political process.” —AFP