Hezbollah Suffers Big Losses in Syria Which Reviewed Local Developments
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SUBSCRIPTION TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2013 RAJAB 11, 1434 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Wave of Obama hosts Yahoo takes Mourinho attacks kills Myanmar leader big leap with to leave at least in symbolic $1.1bn deal Real at end 86 in Iraq7 White10 House visit for27 Tumblr of20 season More heads roll in Max 41º Min 24º High Tide oil sector shakeup 08:29 & 20:40 Low Tide 01:44 & 14:50 40 PAGES NO: 15815 150 FILS Amir says govt to attend next Assembly session By B Izzak KUWAIT: State-owned Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) yesterday made the biggest ever shakeup in the top positions of its eight subsidiaries and a number of lead- ing posts in KPC itself. The major restructuring replaced the managing directors of all the eight subsidiaries of KPC and appointed new executives for companies like Kuwait Oil Co (KOC), the oil production arm of KPC, Kuwait National Petroleum Co (KNPC), which operates the three refineries for Kuwait, and others. Under the move, KOC managing director Sami Al- Rasheed, the most veteran oil executive, was among top oil officials who lost their jobs. He was replaced by Hashem Hashem. KNPC managing director Fahad Al- Adwah was also among those who were forced to retire and was replaced by Mohammad Al-Mutairi. Maha Mulla Al-Tarkait, the managing director of Petrochemicals Industries Co (PIC), also lost her job to Asaad Al-Saad. Tarkait and several other leading officials at PIC were suspended on Thursday over the $2.2 billion penalty payment to US’ Dow Chemical and the whole issue was referred to the public prosecution. The latest appointments come after the Cabinet on Thursday dismissed KPC chief executive officer Farouq Al-Zanki and appointed Nezar Al-Adasani to replace him. KPC insisted the decisions were not linked to the political crisis over Dow but aim at restructuring the oil sector to be able to cope with current and future chal- lenges and to inject fresh blood in the sector by giving an opportunity to the second generation of executives. KPC also introduced a new system under which a chair- man and a managing director are appointed for each oil company instead of a managing director alone. Separately, National Assembly Apeaker Ali Al-Rashed said yesterday that HH the Amir told a group of MPs NABI SHEET, Lebanon: Lebanese mourners carry the coffin of Hezbollah fighter Hassan Faisal Shuker, 18, who was killed in a battle against Syrian rebels in the that the government will attend the May 28 parliamen- Syrian town of Qusair, during his funeral procession in his hometown in the eastern Bekaa valley yesterday. — AP tary session after boycotting two sessions in protest against grillings. Rashed was speaking after he led a 17- strong parliamentary team in a meeting with the Amir Hezbollah suffers big losses in Syria which reviewed local developments. Continued on Page 13 AMMAN/BEIRUT: About 30 Lebanese Hezbollah fight- ers and 20 Syrian soldiers and militiamen loyal to President Bashar Al-Assad have been killed in the Israel calls off UNESCO fiercest fighting this year in the rebel stronghold of Qusair, Syrian activists said yesterday. Sunday’s reported death toll was the highest for Hezbollah in a single day’s mission to Jerusalem conflict in Syria, highlighting the increasing interven- tion by the guerrilla group originally set up by Iran in JERUSALEM: Israel said it called off a became members of the organisation in the 1980s to fight Israeli occupation troops in south United Nations investigative mission to 2011. But ahead of the start of the dele- Lebanon. Jerusalem’s Old City due to start yester- gation’s work, the Palestinians were try- If confirmed, the Hezbollah losses also reflect the day because of Palestinian efforts to ing to “politicise” it, Israel said, contrary extent to which Syria is becoming a proxy conflict politicise the visit, as the UN said it was to understandings reached by the sides, between Shiite Iran and Gulf Arab states such as Saudi postponed. “Israel has cancelled the del- and to change the action plan UNESCO Arabia and Qatar, which back Assad’s mostly Sunni ene- egation,” a foreign ministry official told decided upon in 2010. “Palestinian for- mies. Western countries and Russia, an ally of Damascus, AFP. “The Palestinians were not respect- eign minister Riad Malki recently said back opposing sides in this regional free-for-all which is ing the understandings. The visit was they considered the mission a ‘commis- also sucking in Israel. Three times this year Israeli planes supposed to be professional, (but) they sion of inquiry,’” the official said, “and said have bombed presumed Iranian weapons destined for were taking measures that showed they they would discuss political issues with Hezbollah. were politicising the event and not let- the mission.” “The Palestinians are also CAIRO: An Egyptian man walks past a shop that sells alcohol on May 16, 2013. — AFP Syrian opposition sources and state media gave ting the delegation focus on professional pushing for the delegation to visit the widely differing accounts of Sunday’s ferocious clashes sides of it,” the official said. The United Temple Mount,” which is revered as Egypt faces pressure in Qusair, long used by rebels as a supply route from the Nations Educational, Scientific and Judaism’s most sacred place, said the nearby Lebanese border to the provincial capital Homs. Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), howev- official, using the Israeli term for the Hezbollah has not commented but in Lebanon’s Bekaa er, said the mission had only been post- complex known to Muslims as Al-Haram to end alcohol sales Valley yesterday, several funeral processions could be poned. “The mission is not cancelled, it’s Al-Sharif that houses the Al-Aqsa seen. Pictures of dead fighters were plastered on to cars been postponed. There’s no new date for Mosque. CAIRO: Egypt’s liquor stores are under Cairo residents. Like many liquor store and mourners waved yellow Hezbollah flags. Several it yet, and I’ve got no other details to Malki said the Palestinian Authority growing pressure to stop selling alcohol, owners in Egypt, Aziz says the mood has ambulances were seen on the main Bekaa Valley high- give. The mission hasn’t yet arrived,” had expected Israel’s move to block the they say, not from the country’s Islamist changed drastically since the 2011 upris- way and residents said hospitals had appealed for spokeswoman Sue Williams told AFP. mission. “We weren’t surprised by this government, but from society itself. The ing that toppled Hosni Mubarak and blood to treat the wounded brought back to Lebanon. Israel in April agreed that UNESCO decision because we believed that Israel’s shelves of Amir Aziz’s central Cairo prem- brought Islamists to power. “There are no The air and tank assault on the strategic town of could assess the state of the Old City of agreement to (allow the mission) was not ises are stacked with beer, wine and spir- restrictions from the government on the 30,000 people appeared to be part of a campaign by Jerusalem, the first such monitoring mis- convincing,” he said. Cultural and reli- its, but they are invisible from the street. sale of alcohol,” Aziz told AFP. “It’s the Assad’s forces to consolidate their grip on Damascus sion since 2004, following pressure from gious heritage is a highly politicised issue Aziz has covered the window with metal people who are giving us trouble.” Continued on Page 13 Jordan and the Palestinians, who for Israel and the Palestinians. — AFP sheets to avoid angering conservative Continued on Page 13 in the news KAC flight makes Saudis, Manila sign emergency landing US denounces ‘rise’ in deal to protect maids Vendor in Riyadh dies anti-Muslim sentiment after self-immolation KUWAIT: The pilot of a Kuwait Airways aircraft asked MANILA: The Philippines said yesterday it had signed a WASHINGTON: The United States yesterday RIYADH: A street vendor died in Saudi Arabia after Cairo International Airport for permission to make an historic agreement with Saudi Arabia that would pro- denounced what it called a spike in anti-Islamic sen- setting himself on fire in protest at having his goods emergency landing because of a cracked window. The timent in Europe and Asia, pointing to restrictions tect thousands of Filipina maids from being exploited in pilot dumped the fuel and landed safely. Meanwhile, confiscated by police, human rights activists reported and violence against Muslims including the faith’s the Middle Eastern kingdom. The agreement guaran- yesterday. The vendor, Mussa Ahmad Al-Harissi, “tried chaos dominated the arrivals hall at Kuwait minority sects. Releasing a wide-ranging annual tees Filipina maids benefits like a day off each week International Airport because of large crowds due to a to end his life on Wednesday evening by pouring report on religious freedom, Secretary of State John while preventing their hiring costs from being deduct- petrol over himself and setting himself alight,” the malfunction in the passport office. Kuwait Airways has Kerry also voiced alarm at what he called rising anti- ed from their salary among other safeguards, said activists said on condition of anonymity. He was signed a deal with Airbus to buy 15 A320neo and 10 Jewish sentiment. The State Department report, Labour Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz in a statement. “We protesting the seizure of the fruit and vegetables he A350-900 planes with options for 10 more, five from which covered 2012, said that “Anti-Muslim rhetoric are very confident that cases of abuse will be less after and actions were clearly on the rise - particularly in was selling without a licence at the Manfuha market each category.