Al-Hashimi, a career diplomat and Shiite Muslim, had been expected to become Iraq's new ambassador to the UN. She served in the Foreign Ministry during the Saddam government and was the only official of the ousted regime appointed to the 25-member Governing Council.
Al-Hashimi was a controversial choice for the council. She has served as a key aide to former deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz and often traveled abroad with him as he represented Saddam's government. She ran the oil-for-food program in the Foreign Ministry under which the UN allowed Iraq to exchange oil earnings for humanitarian goods.
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