SHAABAN 16, 1440 AH SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2019 28 Pages Max 31º Min 18º 150 Fils Established 1961 ISSUE NO: 17812 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Trump speaks with warlord India’s top judge faces Man City gain Spurs revenge 8 Haftar, in sign of US support 9 sexual harassment storm 28 to remain in control of race Kuwait backs ‘stable, secure and unified’ Iraq: Ghanem Halbousi: Iraq’s relations with Kuwait ‘crucial and dynamic’ BAGHDAD: Kuwait’s chief lawmaker praised an Iraqi- the two. He said that this was thanks to Kuwait’s hosting hosted conference for bringing together neighboring of the global donor conference targeting Iraq’s recon- parliaments, saying Kuwait welcomes a stable and unit- struction in February last year. ed Iraq that is open to its neighbors. “For our part in Iraqis are “no longer anxious” about being one- Kuwait, we say, without ambiguity and with clarity: We dimensional and are today keen on building strategic are with a stable, secure and unified Iraq,” National partnerships with their neighbors, without “favoritism”, Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem told top law- Halbousi said. Iraq has signed agreements with Iran and makers from the host nation, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, he said, while its relations with Turkey are Syria and Turkey. “exceptional” as the two prepare for joint economic The talks “give hope to the region’s people, Iraqis in plans. Iraq is also keen to open its border crossings specific, that entering an age of peace and stability is with Syria for trade, after doing so with Jordan. possible, and that regional fighting and tension are not The leading parliamentarians of Iraq’s neighbors, an inevitable fate as some tend to portray,” he said. including Ghanem, met Iraqi President Barham Saleh. “Strategically, we support a prosperous and developed Ghanem later attended a meeting with Iraqi Prime Iraq that enjoys growth and prosperity,” Ghanem said. Minister Adel Abdulmehdi, whereby both discussed Iraq is a “neighbor”, he said, and it is not in the interests bilateral relations and means to achieve “integration of its neighbors for the country to be going through a and cooperation” for the benefit of both countries. period of turmoil. The one-day roundtable brought together countries This is the reason HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah fiercely at odds across the region. Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah chose to host the Iraqi recon- Jordan, Syria and Kuwait sent the heads of their legisla- struction international donors’ conference in early 2018, he tive bodies, while Iran dispatched a senior parliamen- explained. Ghanem described the talks as “unprecedented”, tary official. Hosted by Iraq’s youngest-ever speaker of commending the “will” of the nations gathered and the parliament, the 38-year-old Halbousi, the meeting last- “tireless efforts” of Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammad ed just shy of three hours. Al-Halbousi in bringing them all together. The countries pledged to support stability, recon- Halbousi described his country’s relations with struction and development in Iraq, which has been rav- Kuwait as “crucial and dynamic” during the conference. aged by several decades of conflict including a three- BAGHDAD: Senior parliamentary officials including Kuwait’s National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem He said there was “wide” understanding and that eco- year battle against the Islamic State group. attend the Baghdad Summit for Parliaments of Iraq’s Neighboring Countries yesterday. — KUNA nomic deals were in the “preparation phase” between Continued on Page 24 Al-Kharafi Group eyes new Egypt investments CAIRO: Chief Executive Officer of Al- Talaat. Kharafi said the group’s investments in efforts to encourage national industry and Kharafi Group and Zain Bader Al-Kharafi said the industrial sector in Egypt are on the increase local components, and replace the group is highly interested in the Egyptian increase, as it carried out expansions in the imported commodities with locally manufac- market, adding “we inherited the love of group’s plants in Alexandria and other cities, tured ones in order to reduce the trade deficit Egypt from our father Nasser Al-Kharafi”. He besides its partnership with Japan’s and bring in hard currency, while emphasizing said the group is keen on increasing its Mitsubishi in the Egyptian market. the government’s support to all Arab and for- investments in Egypt and expand its current The Egyptian prime minister appreciated eign investments that may contribute to projects that include investments in the field the valuable contributions of Al-Kharafi achieving these goals. of constructions in the new administrative Group in the Egyptian economy, adding the Meanwhile, the communications minister capital and other projects in the field of con- government in keen on extending all forms of spoke about the possibility of cooperating tracting and roads, in addition to being inter- support for serious investments and wel- with Al-Kharafi Group in the field of estab- ested in investing in communications and comed the group’s desire to invest in the field lishing a data center, because it is one of the Internet services, besides smart cities. of communications, Internet and smart cities. promising and important fields in Egypt. Kharafi spoke during his meeting with He indicated the government’s interest in Kharafi welcomed cooperation in this field, Egypt’s Prime Minister Mustafa Madhouli to bringing investments in the field of manufac- and spoke about the expertise of the group in CAIRO: Chief Executive Officer of Al-Kharafi Group and Zain Bader Al-Kharafi meets discuss the opportunities of expanding turing electric mass transport vehicles as well establishing and managing data centers, and Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madhouli in the presence of Egypt’s investments in Egypt, in the presence of as electric cars. its readiness to establish such centers within Communications Minister Amro Talaat. Egypt’s Communications Minister Amro Madhouli pointed to the government’s a maximum of 18 months. Egyptians vote Visa curbs on 6 nationalities; in referendum to job tests for expats mulled extend Sisi rule By A Saleh Meanwhile, well-informed sources CAIRO: Egyptians voted yesterday in a referendum at the manpower authority said the that aims to cement the rule of President Abdel Fattah KUWAIT: Well-informed sources authority is studying subjecting expats Al-Sisi, the former coup leader who presents himself as said various residency affairs man- applying to work in Kuwait to profes- a rock of stability in a turbulent region. Voters were agers have been instructed not to sional tests prior to bringing them here. being asked to back amendments to the constitution to approve any visit or entry visa The sources said the first phase of the allow Sisi, 64, to run for another six-year term while requests for nationals of Iraq, Syria, tests will be done in Kuwait, and later boosting his control over the judiciary and giving the Yemen, Iran and Pakistan and refer determine the professions to be tested military even greater influence in political life. them to Interior Minister Sheikh abroad after the professional stan- At a polling station in Manyal, a Cairo suburb over- Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah, who will dards division sets the job description looking the Nile, Mohamed Abdel Salam, 45, told AFP either approve and return the applica- of each profession. The sources justi- he was voting enthusiastically in support of the tions to the concerned departments fied the new decision to the fact that changes. “I don’t care about the presidential terms,” he for issuance or reject them. The some expats had been recruited to said. “Sisi could stay forever as long as he’s doing his sources added that the same applies work in certain professions but turned job... and he has already done a lot” CAIRO: Elderly Egyptian women cast their ballots at a polling station at a school in to Bangladeshi applicants. out to know nothing about them. Continued on Page 1 the neighborhood of Shubra yesterday. — AFP untrue”. Some of the statements, he said, “are Trump dropped by 3 percentage points to the Trump seethes total bulls**t & only given to make the other lowest level of the year following the release of person look good (or me to look bad).” a redacted version of Mueller’s report on Just 24 hours earlier, the president crowed Thursday, according to a Reuters/Ipsos online over report; poll “Game Over” after the report by special coun- opinion poll. There was also no let up for the sel Robert Mueller was finally released, follow- president from opposition congressional numbers drop ing two years of investigations. Crucially, the Democrats. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is report stated that Trump’s election campaign vying to become the Democratic candidate WASHINGTON: A seething President Donald never colluded with Russian meddling efforts, against Trump in 2020, tweeted that the Trump launched a tirade Friday against the clearing the president of suspicions that he’d Democrat-led House “should initiate impeach- “bulls**t” Mueller report on how he tried to been in cahoots with the Kremlin. But Trump, ment proceedings”. And House judiciary com- thwart the probe into Russian interference in spending the Easter weekend at his Florida golf mittee chairman Jerry Nadler issued a subpoe- the 2016 election, while a leading Democratic resort, is now digesting the report’s findings na to try to force publication of still more doc- opponent urged his impeachment. In early that he was happy to benefit from Russian dirty umentation from Mueller, as well as the por- morning tweets, Trump called it “the Crazy tricks and tried repeatedly to hamper Mueller’s tions of the probe that were blacked out for Mueller Report” written by “Haters” and filled investigation.