U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday congratulated Iraq's new prime minister and cabinet members after they won confirmation from the Transitional National Assembly, saying they "represent the unity and diversity of Iraq" and telling them their jobs won't be easy. "The Iraqi transitional government will confront important challenges in fighting terrorists and enemies of democracy, training the Iraqi security forces and providing basic services to its citizens," Bush said in a statement issued in Washington, adding that they will also draft Iraq's new constitution. The National Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the cabinet submitted by Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. "The United States is confident that the new government will meet these challenges in the months ahead, and America will stand by Iraq, its leaders and the Iraqi people as they continue their work to establish a stable, peaceful and democratic Iraq," he said. The cabinet list submitted by Jaafari remained incomplete, however, with seven posts in the 32-member cabinet, which also includes four deputy prime ministers and Jaafari, yet to be filled. Among those posts are the key ministries of defence and oil. Jaafari had pledged to form a government of unity reflecting the ethnic makeup of Iraq. Bush also recognized the work of the outgoing interim government, which governed for the past 10 months. ---SP 2357 Local Time 2057 GMT
