Key postings in Iran
TEHRAN: Iranian Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri Hamaneh has made sweeping changes to senior oil ministry positions.

The new minister has replaced several key officials, in line with similar changes made by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad since his election in June as the country's seventh president.
Hamaneh replaced Deputy Oil Minister and director of National Iranian Oil Company Seyyid Mehdi Mirmoezzi, with Gholam-Hussein Nozari.
Mirmoezzi was a close ally of former oil minister Bijan Zanganeh and instrumental in attracting foreign investment into the country.
Reza Kasaie-Zadeh has replaced Mohammad Mallaki as deputy oil minister and director of the National Iranian Gas Company.
Asghar Ibrahimi-Asl has replaced Mohammad-Reza Nematzadeh as deputy oil minister and director of the National Iranian Petrochemical Industries Company (NPC).
Nematzadeh was moved from the NPC to the National Iranian Refining and Distribution Co., replacing Mohammad Aqaie.
Hadi Nejad-Husseinian, deputy oil minister in charge of international affairs, was re-appointed in his post with some added responsibility, including overseeing the Caspian Sea Oil and Gas Co.
The Caspian Sea Oil and Gas Company was formerly headed by Assadollah Salehi Forouz who served as a deputy oil minister and director of the company.
As part of secondary changes in the oil ministry, Vaziri appointed Ali-Asghar Zareie as the director of the Institute for International Energy Studies, replacing Mehdi Asali.

Pertamina chief to go
JAKARTA:  State Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Sugiharto said the government had decided to replace Widia Purnama, president of state-owned gas and oil company PT Pertamina.
“We will replace him not because you are asking it (the replacement), but because it is based on the system,” Sugiharto said.
He said that Widia’s replacement might be carried out in January.  He said the ministry was still studying the legal aspects of the replacement.
Sugiharto said that now is the time to replace Pertamina’s directors.