Mohammed Sidiq Shanshal; First Iraq Information Minister

Mohammed Sidiq Shanshal, 80, the first information minister appointed after Iraq became a republic 32 years ago. Shanshal was a key civilian figure who helped the army topple the monarchy in a coup in July, 1958. He was leader of the Independence Party. After the coup, Shanshal was appointed minister of information in the government the army formed under Gen. Abdul Karim Qassim. He later broke with Qassim and resigned as minister of information over the general’s Arab policies and his relations with Egypt. Shanshal, like many other pan-Arab politicians in Iraq at the time, favored close ties with Egypt and refused to take part in subsequent governments. In Baghdad on Tuesday of “old age and poor health,” according to newspaper reports.