Baghdad (AKI) -- The newly formed Iraqi government had to face its first defection Tuesday with the resignation of culture minister Asaad Kamal Majeed al-Husseiny, according to Iraqi television reports. The gap left when al-Husseiny quit was promptly filled through the appointment of Suleiman al-Jumeily as new minister for culture. Despite the quick solution of this first 'crisis', the Iraqi government's stability remains in doubt as three key posts are still vacant, including the crucial interior and defence portfolios.

Sources close to Baghdad's government reported that al-Husseiny, a representative of the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party, opted to return to studying for a PhD rather than embrace a ministerial role.

The new minister for culture, al-Jumeily, belongs to the Iraqi Accord Front, a Sunni group with strong ties to the Iraqi Islamic Party. Therefore the political - and religious - orientation of the culture ministry should not change significantly.

After British prime minister Tony Blair's visit to Baghdad on Monday, Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki pledged to find suitable figures for the roles of minister of interior, minister of defence and minister of security as soon as possible.