MUSCAT: Oman's Sultan Qaboos has replaced two ministers, days after protests erupted demanding an end to corruption and reforms in the normally placid Gulf state, official media reported on Saturday.
The sultan appointed Khaled bin Hilal bin Saud al-Busaidi as a minister of the royal court, replacing Sayed Ali bin Hmud al-Busaidi, and the state ONA news agency said.
He also appointed Sultan bin Mohammed al-Numani as minister in the sultan's office, replacing General Ali bin Majid al-Maamari, it added.
Protests erupted over the past week in various places in Oman, mainly in the industrial city of Sohar, north of the capital Muscat, where at least one protester was killed in clashes between mostly-unemployed demonstrators and police.
Protesters occupied the Earth roundabout in Sohar, and blocked the entrance to the city's port, before army tanks ended the four-day protest peacefully.
Hundreds of protesters also camped on Tuesday and Wednesday outside the headquarters of the consultative council, the sultanate's equivalent of parliament, an elected body that enjoys advisory powers in limited areas. The protesters demanded an end to corruption and higher salaries.
In a move aimed at addressing the grievances, Sultan Qaboos has announced the creation of 50,000 new jobs and a monthly allowance of 150 riyals ($390, 283 euros) for registered job seekers.
The sultan, in power since 1970, also ordered the formation of a ministerial committee to draw up proposals to meet calls for the consultative council to be given more powers.
On Wednesday, Qaboos told the 83 members of the consultative council that he intends to "introduce reforms soon," and "promised to expand the authorities" of the elected council, a council member told AFP. Qaboos also considered protesters who are demanding reforms as "children of Oman who should be treated wisely," he added.
Last month, Oman raised the minimum wage for nationals working in the private sector from $364 to $520. Oman is the latest country to be hit by the wave of popular protests that has rattled several Arab states and swept from power the leaders of Tunisia and Egypt.
Mass demonstrations also threaten the regimes of Bahrain and Yemen while Libyan leader Moamer Qadhafi is facing an armed insurrection. Oman guards the strategic Strait of Hormuz through which 40 percent of the world's oil shipments passes and Muscat is a key Western ally in the region. Iran borders the waterway's northern flank.
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