An official announcement said Dr. Asaad Rizk (a Catholic) has been named as minister of education and culture in place of Ghassan Salameh, who bowed out from the government because of personal and acadamic commitments.

A surgeon by profession and a veteran in politics, Rizk, 74, has a hospital carrying his name in Beirut, and has served as education and social affairs minister from 1976 to 1978 and then as energy minister from 1987 to 1989 and finally as industry minister in 1992 under slain ex-premier Rafik Hariri.

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