SUBSCRIPTION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 MUHARRAM 13, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net First Assembly Debacle for Iran general Beach Games session marred Obama as said to to go global, by sectarian, Republicans mastermind says Asian graft charges2 capture7 Senate Iraq13 ground war Olympic18 chief Kuwaiti Gitmo detainee Min 13º Max 24º Odah freed, sent home High Tide 11:44 & 23:14 Low Tide Fawzi spent 13 years in detention without charge 05:23 & 17:33 40 PAGES NO: 16334 150 FILS GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba: One of two remaining Kuwaitis held in the US military prison at Corruption over camping spots at Municipality Guantanamo Bay was sent home yesterday after nearly 13 By Nawara Fattahova years in detention without charge, a Pentagon spokesman told AFP. Fawzi Al-Odah, 37, boarded a Kuwaiti govern- KUWAIT: A Municipality employee involved in the ment plane at 5:30 am (1030 GMT), said Lieutenant allotment of desert spots for camping is selling Colonel Myles Caggins. He is the first inmate freed since them for thousands of dinars, according to several late May, bringing the total number of detainees at the Kuwaitis who had to pay the civil servant in order to prison on a US naval base in be granted those campsites. The muftah (the key Cuba to 148. person) allegedly reserved several spots for himself, “In accordance with statu- his family, friends and even his domestic servants tory requirements, the secre- when the camping season opened. He then began tary of defense informed to sell these reservations to citizens looking to set Congress of the United up their camps in prime locations. States’ intent to transfer this Kuwait’s camping season runs from November till individual,” Caggins said in a March and is popular with both locals and expatri- statement. Odah’s “transfer ates. Thousands of camps are set up, mostly in took place consistent with Ahmadi, Farwaniya and Jahra governorates in appropriate security and selected desert areas overseen by the Municipal humane treatment meas- ures,” in cooperation with the Council. Fawzi Al-Odah Under a new system by the Municipality that Kuwaiti government, he aims to organize the camping season and help pro- added. tect the environment, campers must now register The release comes a day after a major election defeat for a designated spot and pay a fee of KD 50 plus a for US President Barack Obama, a Democrat, who blames KD 300 deposit. Using GPS coordinates and an Congress for blocking his attempts to close the controver- online registration system, the Municipality invited sial jail. Republicans will now control both congressional would-be campers to apply for a campsite. chambers, for the first time since 2006. Odah and fellow KUWAIT: A ‘reserved’ signboard is seen in front of a makeshift tent in a camping area in the desert yes- Continued on Page 13 Kuwaiti Guantanamo detainee Fayez Al-Kandari were terday. — Photo by Joseph Shagra Continued on Page 13 p2.e$S 2_Layout 1 11/5/14 9:24 PM Page 1 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2014 LOCAL KUWAIT: (From left) MPs Jamal Al-Omar, Saadoun Hammad, and Khalil Abul address the assembly during yesterday’s session. — Photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat First assembly session marred by sectarian, corruption charges MPs call for measures toward slide in oil prices By B Izzak with the surpluses. MP Jamal Al-Omar said the gov- KUWAIT: The first National Assembly ernment has taken no practical step session in the new term kicked off to counter the slide in oil prices, on yesterday with the normal accusa- which Kuwait heavily depends for tions and threats against Cabinet most of its revenues. members while a few MPs He said it is nice to hear Cabinet exchanged sectarian comments and ministers talking about the sharp others made corruption allegations. drop in oil prices but the Cabinet has The charges were made as the taken no measure against this. The assembly began debating the Amiri government must take actions to speech delivered at the opening ses- ensure that subsidies are directed to sion last week amid calls by a large those who need it and the finance number of MPs for the government minister must step in to stop supply- to focus on development pro- ing the petrochemicals with heavily- grammes and to take precautionary subsidized natural gas. measures against the slide in oil The lawmaker also criticized the prices. MPs also called on the gov- government’s inaction in countering (From left) MPs Hamdan Al-Azemi, Hmoud Al-Hamdan and Mohammad Al- Minister Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim responds to MP Hammad’s accusations. ernment to take measures to stop sharp rent increases, saying that the Enizy at yesterday’s session. the crazy rise in rents in the country government which succeeded in for the project are like paper compa- strongly lashed out at the interior revoking of the citizenship of Shiite replace the current outdated legisla- and said the government must apply controlling the price of bread at 50 nies and the whole process was minister for not expelling an Iraqi cleric Yasser Habeeb and who are tion. MP Khalil Abul said all of us pressure on landlords. fils for decades, appears to be orchestrated to ensure the success of Shiite cleric who has allegedly insult- suffering from the same actions raise the national unity slogan but Meanwhile, Minister of State for unable to keep a lid on the prices of one company which turned out to ed companions and wife of the today. do not implement it in the right way Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Mohammad real estate, land and rents. MP Khalil have made the cheapest offer. prophet. Nasef called for formulating a allowing sectarianism and discrimi- Al-Abdullah Al-Sabah stressed the Al-Saleh said the country needs a The lawmaker alleged that as a He also blamed Shiite MPs for not new modern citizenship law to nation to spread. importance of reconsidering redis- law to stop landlords from deciding result, the offers were KD 500 million criticizing the cleric for insulting the tributing the state budget in a way when to increase rents. He also above estimates and warned that prophet’s wife as they had in the that would achieve the best rational- called for constructing high rising public funds should not be made to past demanded the expulsion of ization levels. buildings to overcome any shortages pay the difference. senior Sunni clerics. MP Ahmad Al- Committee formed to Speaking to reporters after a par- in real estate. Minister of Public Works Azemi also called for expelling the liamentary session and a meeting of Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim denied any Iraqi cleric and called on MPs to study airpoot bids the parliamentary priorities’ commit- Airport project irregularities in the awarding reject sectarian tensions. tee, Sheikh Mohammad said that the MP Saadoun Hammad charged process, adding that the project has Shiite MP Ahmad Lari and others KUWAIT: Minister of Public Works and technical specifications and criteria of drop in oil prices cannot be hidden that government projects are being not been awarded yet and all what said Kuwait is a civilized country Minister of Electricity and Water the tender. The Committee will be nor ignored. He added that the gov- devised in such a way to fit certain happened was the opening of the with institutions and those com- Abdulaziz Al-Ibrahim issued a ministe- headed by the Ministry’s undersecre- ernment has been very concerned influential contractors citing the air- bids. He insisted that the ministry plaining of anything should go to rial decision yesterday to form a tech- tary and its membership would with this drop during the past four port expansion project. He claimed treated companies on equal basis court, insisting their concern for nical committee to study bids of the include experts from Kuwait years of huge financial surpluses. that the ministry of public works did and that technical committee will national unity. construction and maintenance of the University, Kuwait Institute for “Any further drop will mean that not properly prequalify companies still assess the offers before taking a Liberal MP Rakan Al-Nasef strong- new passenger terminal at Kuwait Scientific Research, Ministry of we will reach prices equal to oil to ensure that a certain firm wins the final decision on the issue. ly condemned what he described as International Airport. In a press state- Finance, Ministry of Public Works, prices estimated in the state’s budg- contract. religious extremism sweeping the ment, the Public Works Ministry said Ministry of Planning, and General et,” he underlined, urging everybody Hammad said that the three com- Offensive cleric region and endangering Kuwait. He that the committee will study the Directorate of Civil Aviation. — KUNA to accept the drop the way they did panies out of four prequalified to bid Islamist MP Hamdan Al-Azemi also criticized those who hailed the Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Thani with Governor Thabet Al-Muhanna. Ooredoo CEO, Asmah governor discuss future initiatives KUWAIT: As part of Ooredoo Kuwait’s General Thabet Al-Muhanna expressed the visit, General Manager and CEO Al- efforts in strengthening ties with the his gratitude towards the visit of Thani said: “Ooredoo always aims to government entities, General Manager Ooredoo CEO, lauding the efforts of enrich the lives of the people it serves. and CEO Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Ooredoo in the field of social responsi- We aim to cooperate with our dear Thani met with the governor of bility. Ooredoo announced recently counterparts in the Governorate of Asmah, Thabet Al-Muhanna, to discuss that it will be launching a number of Asimah to launch new services and ini- ways in which they can cooperate.