ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Sunday 31 March 2013 19 Jumada I 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5655 Price: QR2 Bank depositors Lekhwiya in Cyprus to lose trounce 60pc savings Al Arabi 4-1 Business | 21 Sport | 30 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Licences of 10 Karzai in Doha to discuss Taliban office BY MOHAMMAD SHOEB DOHA: Afghan President recruitment Hamid Karzai yesterday con- firmed that talks on opening a Taliban office in Qatar will be held here today. “We will hopefully discuss the firms cancelled issue of Taliban office in Qatar tomorrow,” the visiting leader told reporters at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel yesterday. 21 agencies to wind up business The opening of a Taliban office here would make it easier to hold DOHA: The Ministry of Labour Only those agencies that are negotiations for a peace process to has terminated the licences of practically functioning have been end more than a decade of war in 10 manpower agencies recruit- included in the evaluation, said an Afghanistan. ing housemaids for violating the official, hinting that some agen- Until earlier this year, Karzai labour law. cies had become defunct. had not agreed to the idea of The decision follows a strin- He said the Ministry rating opening a Taliban office in Qatar gent and continuous evaluation would give the agencies an oppor- as he feared that his govern- process launched by the Ministry tunity to improve their perform- ment would be sidelined in talks last year. ance and avail of the privileges that between the militants and the Besides the companies facing are given to the best performing United States. closure, as many as 21 agencies companies. The agencies have Karzai, who is on a two-day have sought permission from been given the right to challenge visit to Qatar, was welcomed at the Ministry to voluntarily wind the Ministry’s decision if they feel the Doha International Airport up their business, a senior offi- they deserve a better ranking. by Qatar’s Minister of State H E cial disclosed yesterday, while Faris Al Kaabi, another official Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiyah. announcing the results of the from the same department said Asked to shed some light on his latest evaluation conducted by that complaints about manpower visit to Qatar and his scheduled the Ministry over the past two agencies have declined after the meeting today with the Emir, months. Ministry launched this evalu- H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa The Ministry conducts the ation process. Majority of the Al Thani, he said: “It will be a suc- assessment every six months complaints are from prospective cessful and happy trip….” and classifies the agencies based employers about delays in recruit- According to earlier reports, on their performance. Only agen- ment of maids. Taliban leaders have refused cies recruiting housemaids are To address this issue, the to have direct contact with subjected to this evaluation, said Ministry is now issuing house- Karzai, saying he is a puppet of Fawaz Al Rees, director of the maid visas directly to the agen- Washington, which supported his Recruitment Department at the cies that can be later transferred rise to power after a US-led mili- Ministry said at a press confer- to the respective employers. Such tary operation oust the Taliban ence yesterday. visas are issued only to agencies from power following the terror- Minister of State H E Abdullah bin Khalifa Al Attiyah welcoming Afghan President Hamid Karzai at Doha International As in the previous assess- that are put in the A category. ist attacks of September 11, 2001. Airport yesterday. ments, the new results also indi- Asked if this would not lead to However, with Nato-led forces cate that majority of the agencies trading in visas, the official said due to withdraw from Afghanistan would stay and the rest would the Taliban and Karzai’s insist- “If we want to have talks to have failed to make the grade in the agencies have been brought by the end of 2014, Karzai recently leave the country by the end ence that his appointees be at the bring peace to Afghanistan, the the Ministry list. Of the total under strict monitoring to pre- changed his mind and agreed to of 2014, but added that the US centre of negotiations. main side must be the Afghan 132 companies, only 17 have been vent such practices. the proposed Taliban office in had no plan to completely leave Meanwhile, before Karzai left government’s representatives — given A grade while 36 have been This will not fully solve the Doha, and is slated to firm up the Afghanistan in the near future. Kabul, his spokesman Aimal the High Peace Council, which has put in the B category. A total of problem because there are only plan today with the Emir. However, any future peace Faizi was quoted as saying: “We members from all the country’s 79 agencies have been classified in 17 such companies and their quota The president said there were talks face numerous hurdles will discuss the peace process, ethnic and political backgrounds,” the C category indicating a poor or visa is limited. about 150,000 foreign troops in before they begin, including con- of course, and the opening of an Faizi added. performance. THE PENINSULA Afghanistan, of which 15,000 fusion over who would represent office for the Taliban in Qatar.” THE PENINSULA Qatar’s real GDP grows over 6pc Qatar Airways to be first to land at new airport DOHA: A Qatar Airways the lounge facility will begin their steering committee of the new terminal complex. passengers can use a shuttle bus DOHA: Qatar’s real gross aircraft will fly from Doha operations from the new airport airport ,said HIA was all set to From the car park, passengers service that will operate from domestic product in October- International Airport (DIA) to following the arrival of the first receive passengers and visitors. will be able to enter the passen- HIA to the DIA departures ter- December 2012 rose 6.2 percent Hamad International Airport flight. Travellers will enter the pas- ger terminal complex through the minal and from DIA to HIA. from a year earlier, growing (HIA) tomorrow, marking the The airlines which will move senger terminal complex from the eastern link bridge connected to Initially, HIA will have a han- 6.6 percent from the previous soft opening of the new facility. to the new facility tomorrow are east side and go directly to the the parking facility. dling capacity of some 28 million Quarter, according to the pre- Qatar Airways will thus become Air Arabia, Air India Express, check-in counters. After check-in, The taxi pick-up point is passengers a year, increasing to 50 liminary estimates released by the first airline to touch down Biman Bangladesh Airlines, fly- immigration and security checks, located on the arrivals floor on million in its final phase of devel- Qatar Statistics Authority yes- at Qatar’s brand-new airport. dubai, Iran Air, Nepal Airlines, passengers will be directed to con- the left side when exiting the ter- opment beyond 2015. terday. On a cumulative basis, The inaugural flight will take Pakistan International Airlines, course B. Passengers departing minal and the limousine service is Cargo operations and freighter the real GDP of the year 2012 is off a few minutes ahead of its RAK Airways, Syrian Air and and arriving will board and exit available on the right side. Across flights are expected to move from estimated at QR341.12bn when scheduled arrival at the new Yemen Airways. aircraft via an air bridge. the road from the arrivals floor DIA to HIA soon. Qatar Airways compared to the estimate of 2011 airport at 12.20am on Sunday, Abdul Aziz Al Noaimi, Parking will be available at the there is a pick-up point for pri- will move its entire operations to at QR321.07bn. Full report on page 21 sources told The Peninsula. Chairman of Qatar Civil Aviation eastern side of the short-term vate cars. the new airport by the year-end. Ten airlines that don’t require Authority, who also heads the car park in front of the passenger Arriving and departing THE PENINSULA Two Kuwaitis accused in UAE plot trial: PM Sidewall skiing RIYADH: Two Kuwaiti citi- zens are among 94 suspected Saudi to allow women’s Muslim Brotherhood members on trial in the United Arab Emirates accused of planning sports clubs: Report to overthrow the state, Kuwait’s prime minister said. The two RIYADH: Saudi Arabia is to committee to allow women’s sports are “suspected of involvement in licence women’s sports clubs for clubs. The General Presidency of financing this cell”, Sheikh Jaber the first time, Al Watan daily Youth Welfare, which functions Al Mubarak Al Sabah said in an reported, in a major step for like a sports ministry, only regu- interview published by Asharaq a country where clerics have lates men’s clubs. Al Awsat yesterday. REUTERS warned against female exercise. The daily said that the Interior Last year the kingdom, where Ministry had decided to allow ‘Land Day’ marked women must have permission women’s sports clubs after review- from a male relative to take many ing a study that showed flaws in the SAKHNIN: Arab Israelis big decisions, sent women athletes existing system. In August two Saudi and Palestinians rallied yes- to the Olympics for the first time women, a judoka and a sprinter, terday to commemorate Land after pressure from international became the first to compete for their Day.