SUBSCRIPTION TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2017 RABI AL-THANI 26, 1438 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Cabinet For India’s Man of the Breathless examines typewriters, hour Affleck Nadal, DNA law ribbon may have goes back to Serena into modification3 finally27 run out indie36 roots last18 eight MP says Amir promises to Min 07º resolve citizenship issue Max 18º High Tide 10:40 & 20:52 Info minister asks for clarifications over grilling Low Tide 04:12 & 15:54 40 PAGES NO: 17120 150 FILS KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- Ghanem and around 10 lawmakers yesterday met HH the Trump pulls US out of Pacific trade deal Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and discussed a number of current political issues, while the Amir prom- WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump moved yes- ised he will resolve the issue of revoked citizenships soon. terday to pull the United States out of the Trans- Ghanem said on his Twitter account that the meeting was Pacific Partnership, making good on a pledge to scrap fruitful and was held at the request of the lawmakers. He a deal he denounced as a “job killer” and a “rape” of US provided no further details. interests. Embarking on his first full week in office, the But MP Mohammad Al-Huwailah said the revoked citi- 45th US president began rolling out his policy agenda zenships were among the issues discussed at the meeting after a tumultuous first weekend for his administra- and HH the Amir promised to resolve it soon. “We spoke tion by signing a series of executive orders. Among with the Amir about the issue of the (revoked) citizenships the first was a memo on withdrawing from the vast and the people who were harmed. He promised a solu- TPP trade pact, which aimed to set trade rules for the tion for this issue soon,” Huwailah said without elaborat- 21st century and bind US allies against growing ing. Among other MPs who were in the meeting were Chinese economic clout. Nayef Al-Merdas, Khaled Al-Otaibi and Talal Al-Jallal. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time,” Over two years ago, the government revoked the citizen- Trump said as he signed the executive order in the ship of several Kuwaiti opposition activists and their family Oval Office. “Great thing for the American worker members and relatives, making the total number several what we just did.” Promoted by Washington and dozens. Those affected include former Islamist opposition signed by 12 countries in 2015, the TPP had yet to go MP Abdullah Al-Barghash and his brothers along with their into effect and US withdrawal is likely to sound its families, owner of Al-Youm television channel and Alam Al- death knell. Trump also signed two other orders, on Youm newspaper Ahmad Jabr Al-Shimmari, Islamist preach- freezing the hiring of federal workers and hitting for- er Nabeel Al-Awadhi and opposition activist Saad Al-Ajmi, eign NGOs that help with abortion. who was deported to Saudi Arabia. The Republican leader is looking to shift attention Their cases are being looked in courts, which have firmly back onto his policy agenda after a first few issued rulings favorable to the activists, but no final court days that put his incoming administration on the back verdict has been issued so far. The government has insist- foot. “Busy week planned with a heavy focus on jobs ed that courts are not competent to look into citizenship and national security,” he tweeted early yesterday. issues because they are sovereign matters that must be Since he was sworn in on Friday, Trump’s White House handled by the state. But the good showing made by the has been pilloried for lying to the public about inau- opposition in the November parliamentary election gural crowds and over a campaign-style speech by the WASHINGTON: US Vice President Mike Pence (left) and White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus watch as reignited the citizenship issue, with direct threats by a president before a memorial to fallen CIA officers. President Donald Trump shows an executive order yesterday to withdraw the US from the 12-nation Trans-Pacific large number of lawmakers to grill the prime minister and Continued on Page 13 Partnership trade pact agreed to under the Obama administration in the Oval Office of the White House. — AP the interior minister. Continued on Page 13 Samsung: Batteries PAGE Asian Cup draw pits PAGE caused Note 7 fires India vs Kyrgyzstan Syria talks off to rocky start ASTANA, Kazakhstan: Syrian rebels vowed regime’s continued bombardment and yesterday to keep fighting if peace negoti- attacks on a flashpoint area near News ations with the government of President Damascus. However, they took part in indi- in brief Bashar Al-Assad fail, as talks between the rect talks with the government and held a two sides in Kazakhstan got off to a rocky three-way meeting with Russia, Turkey start. The meeting in Astana, backed by key and the United Nations. “If the negotia- Kuwait reports H5N8 players Russia, Turkey and Iran, had been tions succeed, then we are with the nego- bird flu outbreak: OIE billed as the first time armed rebel groups tiations,” rebel spokesman Osama Abu PARIS: Kuwait reported an outbreak of the highly conta- would negotiate directly with the Assad Zeid told AFP. “If they don’t succeed, unfor- gious H5N8 bird flu virus in ducks, geese and pheasants, regime since the conflict erupted in 2011. tunately we’ll have no choice but to con- the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said yes- But the rebels backed out of the first tinue fighting.” terday, citing an official Kuwaiti report. Some 144 birds round of direct talks because of the Continued on Page 13 were found dead in the area of Jahra, according to the KUWAIT: A man arrives at the new NATO-Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Regional report posted by the Paris-based OIE. The World Health Center in Mishref yesterday. The center will be officially opened today. — Photo by Organization called on all countries yesterday to moni- Yasser Al-Zayyat tor closely outbreaks of the deadly virus in birds and poultry and to report promptly any human cases that could signal the start of a flu pandemic. The H5N8 virus Glad to see Obama go, Gulf is highly deadly for poultry but has never been found in expects Trump to curb Iran humans. DUBAI: Gulf Arab states are quietly relieved at the departure of Barack applauding the arrival in the White House Obama, who it felt considered Riyadh’s KOC says onshore of a hawkish leader opposed to their alliance with Washington less important oil leak contained adversary Iran, even if they suspect than negotiating a deal in 2015 to neutral- KUWAIT: Kuwait Oil Company yesterday said it has Donald Trump’s short temper and abra- ize Iran’s nuclear program. The relation- contained an oil leak at one of its southwestern oil- sive Tweets may at times heighten ten- ship is a pillar of the Middle East’s security fields. It had earlier declared a state of emergency sions in the combustible Middle East. balance. But it has suffered since Riyadh over the leak. The statement by KOC did not identi- While many countries around the world took issue with what it saw as Obama’s fy the onshore oilfield affected by the leak, which listened with concern to his protectionist withdrawal from the region, and a per- began Sunday, but the Kuwait News Agency said inaugural address, Gulf Arab officials ceived inclination towards Iran since the the leak hit the Maqwa field. It offered no details appear optimistic. They see in Trump a 2011 Arab uprisings. about how many barrels of oil had been spilled. strong president who will shore up There have been tensions over Syria, Kuwait produces some 2.7 million barrels of crude Washington’s role as their main strategic where Obama dismissed Gulf Arab urg- oil a day and holds the world’s sixth-largest oil ASTANA: Chief opposition negotiator Mohammad Alloush (right) of the Jaish al-Islam partner in a region central to US security ings to give more aid to rebels fighting reserves. In August, Kuwait announced a spill at (Army of Islam) rebel group listens to UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura prior to and energy interests. President Bashar Al-Assad, who has sur- the first session of the Syria peace talks at the Rixos President Hotel yesterday. — AFP In Gulf Arab eyes, that involves above vived thanks to Iranian and Russian back- all checking what they see as a surge of ing. “Perception is important: Trump does Iranian support for paramilitary allies in not look like the kind of guy who will Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon and for bend towards Iran or anyone else,” said Trump properties face global terror risk fellow Shiites in Bahrain and Saudi Abdulrahman Al-Rashed, a veteran Saudi DUBAI: Businesses around the world bearing agencies and security experts awake at night properties worldwide to ensure that all resi- Arabia’s oil-producing Eastern Province. It commentator. “If he behaves as he says, US President Donald Trump’s name face an around the world - and, by its very nature, it dents, guests and associates remain safe and also means overlooking for now rhetoric then we will see another Ronald Reagan, increased risk now that he is in the White remains speculative. US brands have been tar- secure.” The organization did not elaborate. about uniting “the civilized world against someone all the forces in the region will House, security experts warn, especially as sev- geted in overseas violence before, but they While Trump has said he will put his busi- radical Islamic terrorism” in an address take seriously.