Dashti Questions Boeing Exclusion from KAC Deal
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SUBSCRIPTION TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014 JAMADA ALAWWAL 3, 1435 AH www.kuwaittimes.net UK envoy 11 dead in Alghanim Pistorius announces Islamabad Industries holds pleads ‘GREAT court suicide ‘Celebrate Kuwait’ not guilty British Week’2 attack11 networking30 event at13 trial Dashti questions Boeing Max 26º Min 14º exclusion from KAC deal High Tide 01:40 & 14:01 Low Tide North Zour probe panel to summon ministers 08:08 & 20:29 40 PAGES NO: 16094 150 FILS By Dr M Ziad Al Alyan Dashti, a member of the legal and legislative com- mittee, expressed disgust at the exclusion of Boeing, KUWAIT: In an exclusive interview with Kuwait Times, Airbus’ main competitor, from the deal, recalling that MP Abdulhameed Dashti yesterday criticized Kuwait “the Americans are Kuwait’s allies”. The lawmaker said Airways (KAC) for signing a deal to purchase 25 Airbus that the government should have cooperated and planes and leasing 12 others while ignoring US manu- coordinated with the Assembly before signing the facturer Boeing. Dashti expressed his intention to fully deal. KAC signed the deal days after the Assembly investigate the deal, arguing that Kuwait should not ordered the probe. have rushed into such an important decision. In a related development, Dashti said that a second Dashti made it clear that his aim was not to upset committee investigating alleged irregularities in the Kuwait’s European friends; however he wants Kuwait to Al-Zour North Power Plant met yesterday with the maintain a balance. He expressed that the lack of trans- head of the government’s mega projects department. parency in the process was worrying, adding that The project was awarded to a consortium of French, “putting our eggs in one basket was not a wise deci- Japanese and local companies for around $2.5 billion, sion irrespective of price.” The reason for discussing this but several MPs claimed that the awarding process with Kuwait Times was to highlight to the international was faulty and demanded an investigation. Dashti said community the current thinking in the parliament. the committee received a number of answers but Dashti later told reporters that a panel formed by some of them were incomplete, adding that the com- the legal and legislative committee to probe the deal mittee will summon the ministers of commerce and will summon the KAC board to question it over the deal electricity next week. whose value has not been made public. He said the committee asked for the establishment The probe into the KAC deal was ordered by the contracts of the companies, adding that the replies of National Assembly last month. MPs voted to ask the the government team were not sufficient, especially legal and legislative committee to form a three-mem- that a number of suspected violations were commit- ber panel to investigate any wrongdoing. KAC chair- ted in the awarding of the project. The government woman Rasha Al-Roumi told a press conference on has already signed contracts with the winning consor- Sunday that the airline signed the deal without any tium that began construction work to build a power middlemen and managed to get a discount of over 10 and water desalination plant in the area close to the KUWAIT: MP Abdulhameed Dashti gestures during a session at the National Assembly in this recent file pho- percent during final negotiations in the last two borders with Saudi Arabia. Production is slated to to. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat months. come onstream in 2016. MP blames expats for Bahrain blast kills 3 cops traffic jams, deaths Emirati police officer among dead By B Izzak and A Saleh workers] who drive decrepit vehicles, spreading death everywhere as the law KUWAIT: Independent MP Kamel Al- stands helpless against them,” the MP Awadhi yesterday blamed the large deduced. UAE jails 3 number of vehicles on Kuwait roads, In addition, 47,000 expatriate especially of expatriates, for the chronic employees in the government own traffic jams and accidents in the coun- more than 60,000 vehicles while around ‘Islamists’ try. He said that based on information 208,000 foreigners working in the pri- from the interior ministry, there are vate sector own as many as 290,000 DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates’ top court con- around 1.8 million registered vehicles in vehicles. As a result of the large number victed a Qatari doctor and sentenced him to seven the country and that expatriate owner- of vehicles on the roads, the number of years behind bars yesterday in the latest move by ship of vehicles is highly questionable. accidents rose from 56,660 in 2008 to the Gulf federation against the Muslim He said that based on official statis- 86,542 accidents in 2012, a 65 percent Brotherhood and its perceived Islamist allies. The tics, 8,000 expatriates having domestic jump, while deaths from traffic acci- Federal Supreme Court in the UAE capital Abu residencies own around 10,000 vehicles, dents rose from 410 to 454 in the same Dhabi found Dr Mahmoud Al-Jaidah guilty of although the law prohibits them from period, he said. charges linked to cooperating with an illegal clan- owning cars. “Most of them are [illegal Continued on Page 13 destine organization that aimed to overthrow the government, according to state news agency WAM. He will be deported after serving his sen- ‘Slave’ and ‘Gravity’ tence. The UAE, a federa- tion of seven semiau- share Oscar glory tonomous sheikdoms that includes Abu Dhabi and Dubai, claims that Islamist DAIH, Bahrain: Bahraini police lift the body of a comrade after a bomb exploded groups backed by the during clashes between protesters and security forces yesterday in this village Brotherhood have west of the capital Manama. — AFP sought to topple its DUBAI: A bomb explosion killed three serious attack on the security forces in Western-backed ruling policemen yesterday during confronta- terms of casualties since bomb attacks system. Jaidah was Mahmoud Al-Jaidah tions between security forces and “riot- became frequent in the Shiite-majority detained while transit- ers” in a Shiite village near the Bahraini Gulf kingdom that is ruled by the Sunni ing through Dubai airport on his way from Thailand capital, the interior ministry said. An Al-Khalifa dynasty. to Qatar in February last year. His family has said he Emirati police officer from a joint Gulf The Shiite-dominated opposition had no active role with the Brotherhood, and rights force in Bahrain was among the dead, swiftly condemned the bombing, stress- groups have raised concerns about Jaidah’s claims the UAE government said. First ing the “peaceful” nature of action to that he faced torture and improper treatment while Lieutenant Tariq Al-Shehi died along with voice political demands. The interior min- in pre-trial detention. two members of the Bahraini police force istry said on Twitter “three police person- Two other defendants, both Emiratis, were con- “while performing his national duty of nel died in a terror blast in Daih while victed of ties to the group and were each sen- maintaining order,” the United Arab police were dispersing rioters”. Earlier the tenced to five years behind bars. They were identi- Emirates’ interior ministry said in a state- ministry had said one officer and two fied as Abdul Wahid Hassan Al-Badi Al-Shehhi and ment carried by WAM state news agency. policemen were “seriously” wounded in Saeed Abdullah Al-Buraimi. A third Emirati being He is the first Gulf officer to be report- the village of Daih, on the outskirts of the tried on related charges, Taher Al-Tamimi, was ed killed since forces from the region capital Manama. It said the security acquitted. The UAE sees the Brotherhood and affili- rolled into Bahrain in March 2011 to forces had dispersed a “breakaway group HOLLYWOOD: (From left) Best actor Matthew McConaughey, best actress Cate ated groups as a threat to its political system. It is a Blanchett, best supporting actress Lupita Nyong’o and best supporting actor boost the kingdom’s security forces, of thugs who diverted from a funeral backer of Egypt’s transitional government, which which later quelled a month-long Shiite- route in Daih to riot”. Jared Leto pose in the press room during the 86th Academy Awards on Continued on Page 13 Sunday. — AFP (See Pages 36-40) led uprising. The explosion is the most Continued on Page 13 TUESDAY, MARCH 4, 2014 LOCAL KUWAIT: His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and other dignitaries attend the graduation ceremony at Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy yesterday. Amir patronizes, CP attends officers’ graduation ceremony KUWAIT: Under the patronage of His Highness the Amir and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah the graduation ceremony of the 18th batch of university-level officers and the 41st group of commissioned officers was held yesterday at Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy. His Highness the Amir has deputized His Highness the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to attend the graduation ceremony. Sheikh Nawaf was received at the Academy by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Sheikh Khaled Jarrah Al-Sabah, the Army’s Chief of Staff Lt Gen Abdulrahman Mohammad Othman, Undersecretary of the Defence Ministry Jasser Abdulrazaq Al-Jasser, Dean of the Ali Al-Sabah Military Academy and other members of the Defense Council. The graduation ceremony was also attend- ed by National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al- Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Minister of the Amiri Ahmad Abdulwahab Al-Omair welcomed the officers for their excellent performance and Highness the Crown Prince awarding the Ghanem, former National Assembly speaker Diwan Affairs Sheikh Ali Jarrah Al-Sabah, sen- prestigious guests and thanked His Highness high-level of discipline and congratulated graduates with their certificates.