(6) The national State ministers shall take the same oath of office of the national minister. Oath of the National Minister 71 The national minister shall, upon his/her appointment, assume the functions of his/her office by taking the following oath before the President of the Republic:“I ………..………… having been appointed a national minister, do hereby swear by Almighty God that I will at all times be faithful to the Republic of the Sudan; that I will obey, respect, and uphold the Constitution and abide by all laws of the country, loyally defend its independence, promote its unity and the democratic decentralized system of government established by the Constitution, and to faithfully serve the people and the country to the best of my ability; and God is my witness”. Functions of the National Council of Ministers 72 The National Council of Ministers shall have the following functions:(a) planning State policy, (b) implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, (c) initiation of national legislative bills, national budget, international treaties, bilateral and multilateral agreements, (d) receiving reports about national ministerial performance for review and action, (e) receiving reports on executive performance of states for purposes of information and coordination, provided that in case of the states of Southern Sudan, reports shall be received through the Government of Southern Sudan, (f) receiving reports on matters that are concurrent or residual and decides whether it is competent to exercise such power in accordance with Schedules E and F herein. If it so decides, it shall notify the other levels of government of its intention to exercise such power. In case any other level of government objects thereto, a committee shall be set up by the levels concerned to amicably resolve the matter before resorting to the Constitutional Court, (g) any other functions assigned thereto by the President of the Republic and the law. 27