PM to appoint new foreign minister soon

The prime minister has been looking after the external affairs portfolio with assistance from two junior ministers.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh indicated on Monday he would appoint a new external affairs minister on his return home next week.

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"When I go back, there shall be one," the prime minister said in response to a question from a correspondent on board his special aircraft as he talked to journalists accompanying him on his visits to Brazil and Cuba.

He said it would not be a full-fledged cabinet reshuffle but only a new foreign minister would be appointed. However, he did not drop any hints on his likely choice.

There has been no full-fledged external affairs minister since Natwar Singh resigned in December following his involvement in Iraq's oil-for-food corruption scandal. The prime minister himself has been looking after the external affairs portfolio with assistance from two junior ministers - ministers of state Anand Sharma and E Ahamed.

Manmohan Singh returns to New Delhi on September 18.