Mohammed Fneish -- labour minister, returns to cabinet in new portfolio
The only representative of Hezbollah in Fuad Siniora's new cabinet. Fneish had been a member of parliament representing the group since 1992 and when Hezbollah took part in the government for the first time in 2005, he was was appointed energy and water minister. He was one of six opposition ministers to resign from government on November 11, 2006. The move plunged the country into a debilitating political crisis for over a year and a half over opposition demands to form a national unity government.
Born in 1953, Fneish studied at the Lebanese University and holds degrees in political science and mathematics.
Elias Murr -- defence minister, unchanged
A lawyer by training, the 46-year-old comes from an influential political clan in the mountains above Beirut and entered politics in 2000 when he replaced his father, Michel, as interior minister.
He came to office in the shadow of his father-in-law, pro-Syrian former President Emile Lahoud. He was wounded in a car bomb assassination attempt on July 12, 2005.
When pro-Syrian ministers resigned from the government in 2006 in a political crisis that would last over 18 months, Murr continued to serve as defence minister in a dramatic break from his pro-Syrian track record.
This led the opposition to view him as biased toward the ruling bloc rather than one of three "neutral" ministers to be appointed by the president. His reappointment had been seen as a major obstacle in the formation of the new government.
He recently said that modernising the army and strengthening its capacities are "a national priority and a must for the international community."
Fawzi Salukh -- foreign minister, returns to post from which he resigned in 2006
Salukh first came to office in 2005 and was one of five Shiite ministers to quit in 2006 in protest at the government led by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora.
Despite resigning, Salukh continued to perform some of his ministerial duties, receiving ambassadors and foreign dignitaries as protocol demands.
However, he refused to attend cabinet meetings and Culture Minister and acting Foreign Minister Tareq Mitri represented Lebanon at ministerial-level meetings overseas.
Salukh is not directly affiliated with any political party, though he was selected for the post by Parliament Speaker and head of the Shiite Amal Movement, Nabih Berri.
The 77-year-old is a career diplomat having served as ambassador to Nigeria, Algeria, Austria and Belgium.
Before taking office, Salukh served as the secretary-general of the Islamic University in Lebanon for seven years.
Ziad Baroud -- interior minister, new appointment
The 38-year-old was named a "Young Global Leader" by the World Economic Forum in 2007 and served as secretary-general of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections which promotes transparency in the electoral process. He is also a lecturer at Lebanon's Saint-Joseph University.
A lawyer by training, Ziad Baroud is an independent and is regarded as a neutral figure in Siniora's new cabinet, as he is among the three ministers chosen by the president. His post is considered key as the interior ministry is tasked with organising legislative elections due next year.
Mohammed Shatah -- finance minister, new appointment
Prime Minister Siniora appointed his senior advisor Mohammed Shatah to the post he himself had held held for five years, that of finance minister.
Shatah earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Texas in 1981. He worked at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) before serving as Lebanon's ambassador to the United States from 1997 to 2000.
His term ended with the resignation of slain former premier Rafiq Hariri, leading him to return to the IMF in 2001 where he remained until taking up the position as Siniora's chief advisor.
Bahia Hariri -- education minister, new appointment
Sister of former premier Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated in a 2005 car bombing along Beirut's seaside road for which Syria was widely blamed but denies responsibility.
A native of the southern port city of Sidon and a member of parliament since 1992, Bahia has repeatedly served as head of the parliamentary education and culture committee.
She has also served as vice president of the commission for women at the inter-parliamentary Arab Union.
Ibrahim Najjar -- justice minister, new appointment
New on Lebanon's political scene, the 67-year-old's first term will witness the start of the international tribunal to try those behind the assassination of former premier Rafiq Hariri and other anti-Syrian public figures in the past three years.
Syria is widely blamed for the killings but denies involvement.
Considered close to the Lebanese Forces, a party historically opposed to Syrian hegemony, he is regarded as a technocrat due to his legal background.
Najjar studied law in Lebanon and France and is a professor of law at the University of Saint Joseph in Beirut as well as a visiting professor in law schools in France.
An author of several of several books the Lebanese private law, he has held several positions within the Lebanese justice system.
