DAMASCUS, Feb. 11 (Xinhuanet) -- Syrian President Bashar al-Assad reshuffled the cabinet on Saturday after naming veteran foreign minister Farouk al-Shara as vice president, the official SANA news agency reported.

    Assad, who has reshuffled his cabinet for the third time since he took office in 2000, replaced 11 ministers and two state ministers, but left key posts of prime minister and defense minister unchanged.

    The total number of the cabinet members has increased to 33 from 31, adding a Deputy Prime Minister and a State Minister.

    He appointed Shara the vice president to replace Abdul Halim Khaddam, who was branded as a traitor after he publicly accused Damascus of being involved in the murder of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik Hariri a year ago.

    Former ambassador to the United States Walid Muallem was named as new foreign minister while senior security officer Bassam AbdelMajeed was named new interior minister to succeed the late generalGhazi Kanaan, whom the authorities said committed suicide last year.

    SANA quoted a presidential decree as saying that "Mr Shara willbe responsible for executing foreign and media policy under the directions of the president."

    Shara, 68, has been foreign minister since 1984.

    Khaddam, who quit the ruling Baath Party last year, is currently living in Paris.

    Syria has two vice president positions, which has been left vacant since last June, when the other vice president, Mohammed Zouhair Mashareqa, retired from his post.  Enditem