Turkey, Saudis Mulling Ground Attack in Syria
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SUBSCRIPTION SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016 JAMADA ALAWWAL 6, 1437 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Fishermen’s Egypt doctors Rihanna puts Ronaldo Union working revolt against the sexy into double keeps to resolve high escalating sweats in NY pressure prices problem4 police abuses8 runway39 debut on20 Barca Turkey, Saudis mulling Min 08º Max 24º ground attack in Syria High Tide 03:33 & 15:52 Ankara strikes Syrian Kurds Russia decries ‘new Cold War’ Low Tide • 09:59 & 22:35 40 PAGES NO: 16786 150 FILS BEIRUT/MUNICH: Turkish artillery yesterday shelled areas conspiracy theories of Aleppo province in northern Syria held by Kurdish forces, a monitor said, as Ankara said it could launch a ground assault alongside Saudi troops. The Syrian At least with Observatory for Human Rights said Turkish artillery struck areas of Aleppo, including Minnigh airbase recently taken decency by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia from Islamist rebels. Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its YPG militia to be branches of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state. The By Badrya Darwish shelling came shortly after Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Ankara would, if necessary, take military action against the PYD. “We can if necessary take the same measures in Syria as we took in Iraq and Qandil,” he said in a televised speech. [email protected] The premier was referring to Turkey’s bombing cam- paign last year against PKK targets in their Qandil moun- tain stronghold in northern Iraq. A YPG source told AFP hat’s with the sudden attack on expats in that the Turkish shelling targeted the strategic Minnigh air- Kuwait? I don’t want to beat around the base, which Kurdish forces retook late on Wednesday. Wbush. For many, many years, we always had Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, quoted in some rules or issues about having too many expats Turkish newspapers, said Riyadh and Ankara were coordi- in my country. And we have the right to regulate the nating plans to intervene in Syria, where Russia has been population. But for the last 20 years, we didn’t solve backing a successful regime offensive against rebels. any problems, so the ministries come up with new “If there is a strategy (against the Islamic State jihadist rules and then change them the next day, or change group), then Turkey and Saudi Arabia could enter into a them again or before they are on paper. But this ground operation,” he said. Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia is year, I noticed a dramatic change in the attitude of also sending planes to the Turkish base of Incirlik, a key the government - not the people - towards expats. QAMISHLI, Syria: Syrian men take a selfie in front of a shop displaying Valentine’s Day gifts in this northeast- hub for US-led coalition operations against IS already used So what has changed in Kuwait? If we don’t need ern city yesterday. — AFP Continued on Page 13 them, let’s ask them to leave, khalas - but politely and with dignity. We don’t need to slam them, or blame all our problems on them. They have become the scapegoat for all our failures. We can just stop KPI: Oil prices issuing their residency visas, give them notice and tell them to go home. But we don’t’ need to take harsh, inhumane measures against them. could reach I don’t see expats stopping advancement in my country. I don’t think they are the reason that is pre- $50-60 by 2017 venting us from becoming an industrial country. Or an organized place like Dubai with infrastructure ABU DHABI: Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) and rules and regulations. Expats are not the reason said yesterday oil prices could reach a range of $50 for the growing cases of bribery or the deterioration to $60 a barrel by mid-2017, the official state news of state services. By the way, mentioning bribery, agency reported. The agency quoted the compa- what is going on? Did we become so poor that we ny’s top executive Bakheet Al-Rashidi as saying now have to opt for bribery? Bribery thrives in prices could reach the range of $60 to $80 a barrel impoverished countries with no rule of law. Is that in three years’ time. “The global oil market is going what Kuwait has become? through a correction and we have reached the bot- Sorry, I drifted off course. Back to expats. Did we tom,” he was quoted as saying by the official Kuwait in Kuwait educate and prepare a generation that news agency, who added that Rashidi had made can now take over the jobs of expats in the span of his comments at a company event in London. the last 20 years? Why don’t we sit down and start Rashidi attributed the drop in oil prices to excess educating our people? We don’t need everyone to supply in the market and slow demand from Asia, be a doctor or lawyer or professor in the university particularly China. Asked whether oil prices would and brag because they have a title in front of their ever reach the $100 per barrel level again, Rashidi name. We don’t want all of us to stay as civil ser- said, “We can reach prices ranging between $60 vants too. There are tens of thousands of jobs that and $80 but we need three years.” On Vietnam’s any country needs to build itself. Instead of hating Nghi Son refinery, Rashidi said it would start opera- expats, we should start training our people, our girls tions by the end of 2016. — Reuters and boys, to start taking over all the jobs that expats do. Open technical colleges. Just as an example, let’s start with nursing. Leave alone other jobs. Do we have Kuwaiti nurses for our hospitals and clinics? There are lots technical jobs like mechanics, builders, painters, farmers, etc that will require training, and sorry, but are not paid manager salaries. So where are the young Kuwaitis being educated to take on these roles? Before we start attacking expats left, right and center, let’s prepare our nation for tomorrow. At the end of the day, this is our country and if we don’t want expats, we can ask them to leave any time. But if we want them to stay, as we need them (the legal ones anyway), we should treat them fairly and with decency, as this suits our great Islamic religion. CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi Have a good day. gives a speech during his visit to the parliament yesterday. —AFP Sisi: Democracy is back CAIRO: Egypt’s president said yester- the chamber with shouts of “We love elected and first Islamist leader, amid day that his country has established you, Mr President!” When his speech mass protests against his divisive democratic and constitutional rule was later interrupted by the same yearlong rule. Since then, the govern- after years of turmoil following the chant, he replied: “I love you too!” ment has waged a massive crack- 2011 uprising, but rights groups say Sisi acknowledged that the coun- down on dissent, jailing thousands of he has presided over an unprecedent- try is still struggling to rebuild its Islamists as well as several prominent ed crackdown on dissent. President economy and combat Islamic extrem- secular activists who led the 2011 Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi declared the ists, but said it had succeeded in revolt that toppled longtime autocrat completion of Egypt’s transition to restoring representative government. Hosni Mubarak. A draconian law democratic rule in a 32-minute “From this place, under parliament’s passed in Nov 2013 prohibits all address to parliament, a 596-member dome, the Egyptian people declare to unauthorized protests. chamber packed with his supporters. the entire world that they have laid Over the past week, Egypt has In practices reminiscent of Egypt’s the foundation of a democratic sys- faced allegations that security forces past autocratic regimes, state televi- tem and rebuilt constitutional institu- were behind the abduction, torture sion labeled the president’s speech tions,” he said in a speech that largely and killing of an Italian researcher “historic” before it started, and some consisted of generalities and was who disappeared on Jan 25, the fifth lawmakers, in a show of patriotism, repeatedly interrupted by applause. anniversary of the 2011 uprising, placed Egypt’s red, black and white The former general led the 2013 when police were out in force to pre- flags before them in the chamber. military overthrow of President vent any demonstrations. Several others greeted Sisi’s arrival in Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first freely Continued on Page 13 LOCAL SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016 Parliament speaker visits Ankara today KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Al-Ghanem, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, leaves for Ankara today on an official visit at the invitation of Turkish National Assembly Speaker Ismail Kahraman. A National Assembly statement said that Ghanem will hold a series of talks with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in addition to Kahraman. The Kuwaiti delegation will also hold a meeting with the head and members MUNICH: Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Kuwait’s Deputy Premier and Defense Minister Sheikh Khaled Al- of the Kuwaiti-Turkish Friendship Khaled Al-Jarrah Al-Sabah meets with his Latvian counterpart Jarrah Al-Sabah meets France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian Committee in the Turkish parliament. Raymond Vejonis. — KUNA photos on the sidelines of Munich Security Conference (MSC).