SUBSCRIPTION WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 JAMADA ALTHANI 12, 1436 AH www.kuwaittimes.net Decisive Storm Buhari wins Siddiqui, Reigning aims to bring historic farmer’s son champion all Yemenis to Nigeria turned ‘Hindi Djokovic dialogue3 table election7 indie’39 star advances20 Syria aid pledges hit Min 20º Max 29º High Tide $3.8bn at donor meet 10:50 & 22:30 Low Tide Kuwait contributes $500m • Amir, UN chief warn situation dire 04:15 & 16:45 40 PAGES NO: 16477 150 FILS KUWAIT: International donors pledged $3.8 billion yes- terday to help alleviate war-torn Syria’s humanitarian cri- sis, which HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah warned was the worst in “modern history”. “I am pleased to announce the contribution of the State of Kuwait of the amount of $500 million from both the gov- ernment and civil sectors, in support of the humanitari- an situation” of the Syrian people, the Amir said. Addressing the Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria, Sheikh Sabah said the meeting was held in the face of the “biggest humani- tarian catastrophe witnessed by humanity in our con- temporary history.” UN chief Ban Ki-moon told participants at the meeting in Kuwait that four out of five people in Syria were living in “poverty, misery and deprivation”. “The Syrian people are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time,” he said. Addressing the closing session of the conference, Ban welcomed the promised funds as “very generous”. The amount almost equals the combined total of $3.9 billion promised at the two previous conferences. The EU pledged nearly €1.1 billion ($1.2 billion), double the amount the bloc offered last year. The United States pledged $507 million and non-governmental organiza- tions committed more than $500 million. Other major contributions came from Britain with $150 million, United Arab Emirates with $100 million and Norway, which promised $93 million. Saudi Arabia pledged $60 million. The UN had requested $8.4 billion this year - its largest appeal yet for the war-ravaged country. Jordan and Lebanon, which together host close to 2.5 million refugees, were represented by their premiers who KUWAIT: HH the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah (center), United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon (left) and Kuwaiti Foreign Minister appealed for international aid to help their economies Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah attend the opening ceremony of the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria at Bayan Palace yester- cope with the tragedy. day. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Continued on Page 13 Saudi Arabia, Iran trade blame as Yemen teeters Houthis enter Bab El-Mandeb base KUWAIT/SANAA: Regional rivals tary solution in Yemen. We believe Saudi Arabia and Iran traded accu- that the Saudi military attack sations yesterday over the escalat- against Yemen is a strategic mis- ing conflict in Yemen, which the UN take,” Abdollahian told reporters on rights chief warned was on the the sidelines of a Syria donor confer- brink of “total collapse”. Aid groups ence in Kuwait. “Military operations warned of a humanitarian crisis must stop immediately” to open the unfolding with air and sea block- way to a “political solution”, he said. ades making it impossible to send Abdollahian said Iran sees the inter- desperately needed assistance as vention in Yemen as “external Hossein Amir-Abdollahian casualties mount. Explosions lit up aggression” that will foment extrem- the skies over the Yemeni capital ready,” Saud told the Shura Council ism in the region. But Tehran and overnight in the heaviest bombing advisory body. Tehran hit back, Riyadh are “capable of cooperating raids yet of a six-day air war led by accusing Saudi Arabia of putting to strike a compromise in Yemen”, Riyadh against Shiite rebels. the entire Middle East in jeopardy. and the same can apply to a solu- The Houthi rebels and their ally, “The fire of war in the region from tion in Syria, he added. former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, any side... will drag the whole Iranian state media rejected as “decided with the support of Iran to region to play with fire. This is not in “utter lies” claims Tehran had sent destabilise Yemen,” Saudi Foreign the interest of the nations in the arms to Yemen, but said it had dis- Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal said. region,” Deputy Foreign Minister patched non-military aid, including “We are not warmongers, but when Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said. food and medicine. they beat the drums of war we are “We strongly object to the mili- Continued on Page 13 Captors killed, prosecutor hurt in Istanbul standoff Massive power cut paralyses Turkey ISTANBUL: Two hostage-takers were killed and the prosecutor they were holding badly wounded yesterday after security forces launched an operation to end a six-hour standoff in Istanbul, a top security official said. Istanbul prosecutor Mehmet Selim Kiraz was immediately hospitalized after being badly wounded but both men who had held him hostage were killed, Istanbul security director Selami Altinok told reporters outside the courthouse. The authorities had earlier been negoti- ating with the hostage-takers but Altinok said the decision to go in was taken when gunfire was heard during phone communi- cations with the captors. “Our prosecutor is in hospital and seriously wounded. As a result of the operation, two terrorists were killed,” he said, adding Kiraz would undergo an operation. Kiraz was investigating the killing of Berkin Elvan, who died in March last year after spending 269 days in a coma due to ISTANBUL: A militant from the Turkish Marxist-Leninist leftwing injuries inflicted by police in the mass organization DHKP-C holds a gun to the head of prosecutor protests of early summer 2013. Mehmet Selim Kiraz yesterday. — AFP Continued on Page 13 WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2015 LOCAL Amir announces $500 million Kuwait III pledges $3.8 billion for Syrian people: Ban Ki-moon pledge for Syrian people KUWAIT: UN Secretary General Ban Ki- moon announced at the conclusion of the Kuwait III conference that partici- KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Syrian people, HH the Amir said. data, about the economic and social impact of pants pledged $3.8 billion in total. The Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah yesterday Addressing the Third International Pledging the crisis, published lately by international total almost matches the combined announced $500 million pledge for the Syrian Humanitarian Conference for Syria, HH the Amir organizations, based on research studies, reveal pledges made at the first ($1.5 billion) people to help ease their suffering, urging UN said that Kuwait III was held in the face of the that destruction is the headline in every region and second ($2.4 billion) donors’ confer- Security Council (UNSC) members states to act “biggest humanitarian catastrophe witnessed by in Syria, without exception,” said HH the Amir. He ences. Ban had stated earlier that the and end the conflict politically. humanity in our contemporary history.” said the crisis killed more than 210,000 people, participants needed to raise a total of Kuwait government and people have rushed Kuwait hosted the first and second pledging displaced some 12 million others internally and $8.4 billion: $5.5 billion for refugees and to the help of the Syrian brothers since the onset conferences in 2013 and 2014, noted HH the in neighboring countries, all of them live in $2.9 billion for people still inside Syria. harsh conditions, and in tragic humanitarian sit- The list of donors includes: uations.” The catastrophe in Syria has also deprived - European Union: $537 million. two million Syrian children, under 18 years of - United States of America: $507 mil- age, of their most basic rights in education and lion. healthcare, which threatens the future of an - Kuwait: $500 million. KUWAIT: United Nations Secretary entire generation, leaving them to face a gloomy - United Kingdom: $150 million. General Ban Ki-moon attends the future, and depriving their country of their - Germany: $161 million. opening ceremony of the Third active participation in building it, said HH the - United Arab Emirates: $100 million. International Humanitarian Pledging Amir. - Norway: $93 million. Conference for Syria, at Bayan Palace - Saudi Arabia: $60 million. yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al-Zayyat Syrian economy - Sweden: $40 million. The Syrian economy suffered more than $200 - Denmark: $36 million. - Botswana: $5 million. billion in losses, unemployment rate stands at 57 - The Netherlands: $35 million. - Czech Republic: $4 million. percent, while the life expectancy rate has - Switzerland: $25.7 million. - Austria: $2 million. dropped to 55 years, the rates of poverty have - France: $21.5 million. - India: $2 million. risen, and the number of Syrian refugees outside - Australia: $20 million. - Poland: $537,000. the country is 3.9 million people, the biggest - Finland: $16 million. - Estonia: $322,000. refugee society in the world, said the Kuwaiti - South Korea: $15 million. - Romania: $140,000. leader. The crisis in Syria created safe havens for - Ireland: $13 million. - Bulgaria: $107,000. terrorist groups who use the state of instability to - Belgium: $10.5 million. - Slovenia: $64,400. carry out their “sinister plans,” HH the Amir said. - Luxemburg: $6 million. - Lithuania: $40,000. HH Sheikh Sabah paid tribute to the five - Spain: $5.4 million. - Slovakia: $30,000. neighboring countries hosting some 3.9 million - Brazil: $5 million. - Latvia: $27,000. Syrian refugees - Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah attends the open- and Egypt - which have been offering immense ing ceremony of the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, at Bayan humanitarian and relief services, despite the Palace yesterday.