SUBSCRIPTION MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 THULQADA 20, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Premier sets Rivals race North Korea Liftoff at last outlines of for support sentences US for Van Gaal development in ‘knife-edge’ citizen to 6 yrs as Man Utd strategy3 Scotland7 vote hard12 labor thrash20 QPR FM in landmark visit to Max 44º Min 28º Palestine to boost ties High Tide 03:08 & 16:52 Two agreements signed on bilateral cooperation Low Tide 10:20 & 22:20 40 PAGES NO: 16286 150 FILS RAMALLAH: Kuwait’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al- Sabah held talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas yesterday in Ramallah. The visit was the first by a senior Kuwaiti official since the Palestinian Authority was created two decades ago. The talks focused on the means of cementing bilateral relations, with Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled delivering a written message by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Abbas. The two sides also inked an agreement and a memo- randum of understanding (MoU) on political cooperation. The agreement and MoU were signed by Sheikh Sabah Al- Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and his Palestinian counter- part Riyad Al-Malki in the presence of Abbas. The agree- ment stipulates the creation of a joint committee for polit- ical cooperation between the two governments and the MoU stipulates political consultation between Kuwaiti and Palestinian foreign ministries. Later, in a joint press conference with Malki, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said: “I delivered a written message from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to president Abbas focusing on cementing ties and exchanging views on regional issues in the region.” “As Kuwait heads the Arab Summit and the committee that follows up the Arab peace initiative, it is important to coordinate and consult with President Abbas on the upcoming steps,” the minister told reporters. On the signing of two agreements in the presence of Abbas, Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled said that those agree- ments would increase bilateral cooperation in different fields as well as Arab coordination over the Palestinian issue. He added a delegation headed by Kuwait including Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, Mauritania and the Arab League (Right) Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah (center) walks with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammed Hussein (second left) outside the Secretary General would meet Abbas on the sidelines of Dome of the Rock during his visit to the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in the old city of Jerusalem yesterday. (Top left) Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled prays inside the Dome the UN General Assembly in New York. of the Rock. (Left) Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas meets Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled in Ramallah. — AFP Continued on Page 13 IS beheads British hostage Killing boosts resolve of anti-IS coalition LONDON: The Islamic State’s beheading the United States in launching air strikes of another Western hostage has on the group in northern Iraq and Syria. IS attracting strengthened the resolve of a US-led Britain began sending weapons this coalition ahead of a Paris conference week to Kurdish fighters battling the mil- today on how to jointly eliminate the itants in northern Iraq, but has faced women from jihadist group. Prime Minister David accusations of confusion over its strate- Cameron vowed yesterday Britain would gy. US Secretary of State John Kerry was US heartland hunt down the killers of British aid work- in Paris yesterday to push for a broad er David Haines, an act he described as international coalition against IS that has MINNEAPOLIS: US law enforcement is investigat- the “embodiment of evil”. Britain was pre- already secured the backing of 10 Arab ing a new phenomenon of women from the pared to “take whatever steps are neces- states including Saudi Arabia. American heartland joining Islamic State as sary”, he said, after Haines became the “All bases are covered” in the multina- President Barack Obama vows to cut off the mili- third Western hostage to be beheaded tional coalition effort, Kerry said in an KUWAIT: Officials from KNPC and NBK Capital are seen during the signing cere- tants’ recruiting at home. At least three Somali fami- by the militants in less than a month. interview with CBS television aired yes- mony yesterday. — KUNA lies in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area have female rel- IS released a video late Saturday terday, as Washington harnesses diplo- atives who have gone missing in the past six weeks showing Haines’ killing and a death matic and public support to smash the NBK to help finance and may have tried to join Islamic State, said com- threat against another British captive, militants. The bid was boosted by munity leader Abdirizak Bihi. He said that while the Alan Henning. President Barack Obama Australia’s announcement that it was reasons for their disappearance were unclear, he offered US support for its “ally in grief”. A deploying 600 troops to the United Arab clean fuel project had told the families to contact police. grim-faced Cameron said in a televised Emirates to join the effort against what In a separate case, a 19-year-old American statement: “We will hunt down those Prime Minister Tony Abbott called a Somali woman from St Paul snuck away from her responsible and bring them to justice, no “murderous death cult”. The office of Post to turn into company parents on Aug. 25 saying she was going to a bridal matter how long it takes. Step by step we French President Francois Hollande, shower. Instead, she flew to Turkey and joined IS in KUWAIT: The National Bank of Kuwait’s project to upgrade two of three refiner- must drive back, dismantle and ultimate- whose country is hosting today’s interna- Syria. Home to the biggest Somali community in ly destroy ISIL (IS) and what it stands for. tional conference on combating IS, said investment arm has been selected as ies to three international consortia in the United States, the Twin Cities area of Minnesota exclusive financing adviser for a $12-bil- April and also invited bids to build a new has been plagued by terrorist recruiting since the We will do so in a calm, deliberate way the “heinous killing” of Haines was anoth- lion clean fuel refineries project, the bank 615,000-barrel refinery at an estimated Somali group Al-Shabab began enlisting in America but with an iron determination. We will er reason why a global push was needed. said in a statement yesterday. State- cost of $15 billion. around 2007. not do so on our own, but by working A European Union foreign policy owned Kuwait National Petroleum Co The clean fuel project, to modernise This year, law enforcement officials say they closely with our allies, not just the United spokesman called the murder “another (KNPC), which owns the mega project, Ahmadi and Mina Abdullah refineries to learned of 15-20 men with connections to the States and in Europe, but with our allies demonstration of ISIL’s determination to and NBK Capital signed a 12-month con- produce environment-friendly petrole- Minnesota Somali community fighting for extremist in the region.” pursue and extend its terror strategy, in tract under which the bank will assess um products, is scheduled to be com- groups in Syria. Cameron is facing growing pressure at breach of all universally recognised val- funding requirements and help raise the pleted in 2018. Continued on Page 13 home to take military action against IS, ues and rights”. financing. KNPC awarded the clean fuel Continued on Page 13 but he made no commitment to joining Continued on Page 13 Qatar falls into line on Brotherhood DUBAI: Long seen as the “black sheep” of the Muslim Brotherhood,” after banking on the including Mahmud Hussein - thought to be Gulf monarchies for backing the Muslim group gaining the upper hand in countries the organisation’s effective head-in-exile Brotherhood, Qatar appears to have fallen hit by Arab Spring revolts in 2011, said since Egypt detained much of its leadership. into line with its neighbours and started to Mustafa Alani from the Geneva-based Gulf The gas-rich emirate has attracted criticism curb the group’s activities, experts said. Research Centre. for several aspects of its foreign policy, but Doha’s support for the Brotherhood - banned After condemning the jihadist Islamic backing the Brotherhood has been by far the by most Gulf monarchies, who see the State (IS) movement that has seized swathes most damaging, experts say. group’s political Islam as a threat to their sta- of Iraq and Syria and helping secure the The Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in bility - harmed ties with Saudi Arabia, the release of hostages held by other Islamist- 1928 and in the following decades branches United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. After the held hostages in Syria, Qatar has worked to opened in countries across the region. It was ouster of Egypt’s Islamist president Mohamed assuage disputes with its Gulf neighbours banned in Egypt for decades before a 2011 Morsi in July 2013, Cairo labelled the and the West. The lead-up to a US-led cam- uprising that overthrew veteran strongman Brotherhood a “terrorist organisation” and paign against IS has pushed Qatar to rebuild Hosni Mubarak, and the Brotherhood won some of the group’s leaders fled to Qatar. bridges in the region, Alani said. every election before Morsi’s overthrow. Saudi Arabia and the Emirates withdrew Doha requested the departure of Doha’s support for the group put it at logger- their ambassadors, partly over Qatari support Brotherhood leaders, Amr Darrag, a senior heads with Cairo and frayed ties with its Gulf for the group, along with Bahrain, with all figure in the group said Saturday.