THE FIRST ENGLISH LANGUAGE DAILY IN FREE KUWAIT Established in 1977 / www.arabtimesonline.com emergency number 112 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2014 / MUHARRAM 16, 1436 AH NO. 15584 52 PAGES 150 FILS Iran may have violated N-deal with Powers: US think-tank — Details Page 12 — COMPLETE STOP TO COMMERCIAL VISIT VISAS TO WORK PERMITS EYED Recruitment of workers abroad from early ’15 ‘No more Visa 20 to 18’ By Fares Al-Abdan Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, Nov 8: The Public Authority for Manpower will open the door for the recruitment of laborers from abroad to work in certain sectors in early 2015, says Director General of the authority Jamal Al-Dosari. Al-Dosari explained the recruitment will be for all sectors which are currently suspended but it will be done according to the yet-to-be specified percentages without any discrimination among employers. He said this step will be carried out in based on the results of a study which will be finalized soon to specify the percentages and actual number of manpower required by each sector. He said a committee headed by Minister of Social Affairs and Labor, State Minister for Planning and Development Affairs and Chairperson of the authority Continued on Page 12 FATCA talks continue A young boy holds onto a fence as refugees wait for the funeral convoy of 19-year-old Syrian Kurdish fighter girl Perwin Mustafa Dihap who died after being wounded during fighting against the Islamic State forces in her home town of Kobani, to pass by the camps in Suruc, on the Turkey-Syria border, on Nov 7. (AP) — See Page 12 KD 5 bln subsidy mostly spent on energy: MoF Kuwait uncomfortable with WB study By Raed Yusuf, Ayed Al-Enezi and Nasser Qadeeh Al-Seyassah Staff KUWAIT CITY, Nov 8: Despite the welcoming governmental reception to the study prepared by the World Bank on the comprehensive economic reform in Kuwait, sources said the country is very cautious in dealing with the recommendations of international monetary institutions, including the World Bank, due to the negative consequences seen in other nations which had previously implemented the recommendations. Sources said HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak stressed, during the extraordinary meeting of the Cabinet with the World Bank representatives on Thursday, the necessity to present practical and applicable suggestions and visions appropriate to the Kuwaiti society. He hailed efforts exerted by the bank to support Kuwait in its bid to implement comprehensive reforms, yet he lamented the fact that the international institutions presented inapplicable visions which do not match the nature of the Kuwaiti society. Sources pointed out news spread about a governmental tendency to deal with the decline in oil prices, particularly the proposal to reduce subsidies granted to citizens, is nothing but speculation. He asserted the citizens with limited income will not be the ‘victims’ Opinion of governmental reform procedures. Sources revealed the vision presented to the Cabinet is hard to apply, emphasizing that it has been modified under political and financial pressure. In addition, it is not possible to carry out many of the recommendations submitted by the World Bank because they do not serve the welfare of Kuwait and its current political condition. Sources stressed the government will never act against the citizens, confirming the procedures which will be considered in this domain will be within the frame of reducing subsidy on some services which do not affect ordinary citizens. For his part, Minister of Oil, State Continued on Page 12 Other Voices Sheikh Sabah of historic initiatives West isn’t duty-bound to solve Arab problems By Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor By Ahmed Al-Jarallah UAE Businessman Editor-in-Chief, the Arab Times WHILE it’s true that Western powers can’t claim to have clean hands in the Middle East, Arabs don’t either. Most of the Arab leaderships have consistently shrugged off their responsibility to defend their own people. For decades, Arabs have looked to Baba America and its allies for protection, knowing full well that US foreign policy is geared solely towards its own security and geopolitical interests. During my latest visit to the US to join president Jimmy Carter in announcing a new Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative at Illinois College, I had the opportunity of meeting-up with old friends as well as several Al Habtoor high-ranking officials and executives. I have a fondness for the American people. Many have been unfailingly kind to me. But US policy is another matter entirely; it knows no friends, only interests. Former CIA chief and defence secretary Leon Panetta spelled that out clearly in his book “Worthy Fights”. I don’t object to that; it’s beyond time that we took a leaf out of America’s book. Moreover, even if, for the sake of argument, the US was committed to having our back, it’s hardly result-oriented. As Ambassador Chas. W. Freeman writes, “We (the US) are trying to cope with the WELL done HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as you always do your best to maintain unity of the Gulf house. This has been your habit for a long time. Your great efforts have proven that the culture of Kuwait binds, not dismantle. This has been your conviction since you served as Minister of Foreign Affairs when you rooted for the support of a prominent diplomacy which distinguishes such a small country geographically, as it plays a big role not only in the Arab level but also the territorial and international levels. Al-Jarallah Leaning on this long and authentic experience in easing obstacles and matching viewpoints, your initiative has been launched to eliminate the remaining impurities which are still stuck in the garment of brotherly relations between GCC countries. Continued on Page 12 Email: [email protected] Follow me on: [email protected] Continued on Page 8 Suspect arrested over threat to American schools CAIRO, Nov 8, (AFP): Egypt on Saturday announced the arrest of a USEgyptian citizen accused of having posted on jihadist websites a threat to attack American and other international schools in the region. At the end of October, US embassies in the Gulf states of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the mission in Egypt, called for vigilance over a threat to American schools there. Egypt’s interior ministry, in a statement on its official Facebook page, said Alsayyed Abu Saree, 60, was behind the threats and had been arrested, although it did not say when. The suspect “posted a call through jihadist websites for attacks targeting government and foreign interests... including against foreign teachers at American and international schools in the country”, it said. Interior ministry spokesman Hani Abdel Latif told AFP the suspect was arrested in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, and that he holds both US and Egyptian citizenship. He also holds a certificate to teach at American schools around the world and has lived in the United States for 27 years. In October, the American embassy in Riyadh posted a warning saying that an anonymous jihadist post specifically Continued on Page 12 ‘Kuwait is America’s reliable energy partner’ KUWAIT CITY, Nov 8, (KUNA): Senior commercial officer at the US Embassy Dao Le said that Kuwait is a major partner especially in the field of energy, adding that Kuwait will maintain this position well into the medium term, as there is no other alternative for the US. Therefore, Kuwait is a safe partner in energy. The US diplomat stated in his interview with KUNA that trade exchange between the two countries mostly consists of Kuwaiti oil exports. He added that trade exchange between the two countries jumped by 167 percent during the last four years, rising from $5.7 billion in 2009 to $15.2 billion by last Continued on Page 12 KUNA photo His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and an official delegation accompanying him returned home Friday following brotherly visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain. His Highness the Amir was received at the airport by His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Parliament Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim, Amiri Diwan Minister Sheikh Nasser Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, and Deputy Premier, Minister of Defense and Acting Interior Minister Sheikh Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah. Newswatch RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: It’s only for women over 30, who must be off the road by 8 pm and cannot wear makeup behind the wheel. But it’s still a startling idea. The Saudi king’s advisory council — whose suggestions are not binding — has recommended that the government lift its ban on female drivers, a member of the council told The Associated Press Friday. Local media subsequently quoted an official denying the report. Continued on Page 12