RABI ALAWWAL 15, 1439 AH SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2017 Max 22º 32 Pages 150 Fils Established 1961 Min 10º ISSUE NO: 17396 The First Daily in the Arabian Gulf www.kuwaittimes.net Kuwait airport authorities foil Fear in London as Communist Hanoi gets Coaches hail tantalizing 3 smuggling of 2.6 kg of heroin 6 acid attacks soar 29 first McDonald’s outlet 16 2018 World Cup draw Yemen rebel alliance unravels as strongman turns to Saudis Saleh ready for ‘new page’ with coalition as clashes rage SANAA: The rebel alliance controlling Yemen’s capital For decades bitter enemies, Saleh and rebel chief appeared to crumble yesterday as a strongman Abdulmalik Al-Houthi teamed up three years ago to opposed to the internationally recognized government drive President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government reached out to the Saudi-led coalition fighting the from Sanaa to the country’s south. But the fragile rebel insurgents. The rift within rebel ranks erupted into vio- alliance has shown signs of unraveling for months. The lence in Sanaa this week, raising fears of a new front in head of the Houthis’ Ansarullah group warned that the a three-year war that has claimed thousands of lives biggest winner from what he described as Saleh’s “sedi- and triggered a major humanitarian crisis in Yemen. tion” was the Saudi-led coalition. “I appeal to the leader Former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who joined Saleh to show more wisdom and maturity... and not to forces with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in 2014 to heed incitement calls,” Houthi said in a speech on the seize the capital, said yesterday he was ready to talk to group’s Al-Masirah TV, adding that his group was ready the Saudi-led coalition if it lifts a crippling blockade on to sit down for arbitration and abide by any ruling. Yemen. His sudden about-face sparked warnings of ret- Saleh’s open overture to Saudi Arabia came a day ribution by the Houthis, whose supporters have clashed after talks aimed at ending the rebel infighting failed to with Saleh loyalists this week in Sanaa, leaving dozens broker a truce. “I call on our brothers in neighboring dead or wounded. countries... to stop their aggression and lift the block- The armed groups fought for control over key positions ade... and we will turn the page,” Saleh said in a tele- in the city yesterday, including ministries and the interna- vised speech. “We vow to our brothers and neighbors tional airport, according to security sources and witnesses. that, after a ceasefire is in place and the blockade is lift- Sanaa international airport is under the coalition blockade ed ... we will hold dialogue directly through the legiti- imposed last month on all Yemeni borders after a missile mate authority represented by our parliament.” fired by the Houthis was intercepted near Riyadh. Streets The Houthis quickly hit back, accusing Saleh of stag- SANAA: Houthi fighters man an anti-aircraft gun in the Yemeni capital yesterday during clashes with across Sanaa were empty on Saturday night as Yemenis ing a “coup against our alliance” and “back-stabbing”. supporters of Yemeni ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh. — AP stayed home fearing a new round of clashes, with one resi- “It is neither strange nor surprising that Saleh would dent describing the city as a “ghost town”. Continued on Page 11 asked to go to Egypt and Ex-Egypt premier his wish will be met.” Shafiq’s daughter May Shafiq, told Reuters that Shafiq ‘deported’ authorities had come for him at his home yesterday from UAE to Cairo and sent him to Cairo. “We were about to leave to CAIRO: Former Egyptian prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, travel to France. They came who last week announced his intention of running for and took him. They deport- the presidency in 2018, has been taken from his home in ed him in a private plane. the United Arab Emirates and is being deported to They said they will deport Egypt, his family told Reuters yesterday. Shafiq, a for- him to Egypt,” May said. Ahmed Shafiq mer air force commander and government minister, is “Just because he seen as the strongest potential opponent of President announced he will run for Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi should the latter, as expected, president they deported him to Egypt and I don’t know decide to run for a second term in an election set for what will they do to him... No one is allowed to run for around April 2018. president” she said. Shafiq’s lawyer on her Facebook UAE news agency WAM said Shafiq has left the page also said he had been taken from the family home. Emirates, an ally of Sisi’s government, for Egypt without One aide said she witnessed officials arriving at the giving any details on why or how he departed. It said his house and was told that Shafiq would be deported to family had remained behind in the Emirates. A Gulf source Egypt onboard a private plane. familiar with the matter said earlier: “Shafiq has publicly Continued on Page 11 Trump called the bill the biggest tax cut in US histo- Trump welcomes ry and said his Republican Party would now work with the House of Representatives, which has passed its own tax bill, to produce a common version. tax cut vote marred Passage would mark a first major victory for Trump’s sputtering legislative agenda. “Thank you to by very bad week House and Senate Republicans for your hard work and commitment!” Trump wrote. After a marathon WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump wel- session that stretched into the night, the chamber comed yesterday a landmark tax cut bill passed by voted 51 to 49 in favor of the biggest US tax over- the Senate - a step toward a big win overshadowed haul in 31 years. Both the Senate and House versions by an ominous turn for him in the probe into Russian lower the corporate tax rate to 20 percent from 35 meddling in the US election. Trump also insisted, percent, and include more modest tax cuts aimed at again, that there was no collusion between his cam- individuals across all income levels. paign and Russia. In an early morning Twitter post, Continued on Page 11 NEW YORK: US President Donald Trump looks for people in the audience as he speaks at a fundraiser yesterday. — AP 2 Established 1961 Local Sunday, December 3, 2017 Kuwait completes delivering summit invitations to GCC leaders local spotlight GCC summit in Kuwait By Muna Al-Fuzai KUWAIT: In preparation for the 38th Summit for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), Kuwait began Friday to hoist the national flags of fellow Gulf countries at main high- ways and bridges. —KUNA [email protected] Kuwait has sent out official invitations to all Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries including Qatar and Oman for the 38th GCC summit that is scheduled for December 5 and 6 in Kuwait. The move raised sev- eral questions, expectations as well as hopes, such as whether Qatar will accept the invitation and who will represent it, and will the leaders of the other four Gulf states participate despite the ongoing dispute. What are the possible scenarios? Shall we witness an end to the Gulf crisis by the end of this gathering? Kuwait is exerting efforts to bring all parties to one table despite the schism. It seems to me that this is the main message that fully diagnoses the vision of the Kuwaiti mediator, who still hopes for a diplomatic solu- tion to all conflicts, especially since this crisis is a Gulf issue between brothers who are facing similar chal- lenges in the region. Work is underway to finalize arrangements for the Gulf summit’s guests according to the date announced, and this is an indicator of the pos- sibility of dialogue on the Gulf crisis even if the dispute KUWAIT: The State of Kuwait has already completed the delivery of invitations from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah to Gulf Cooperation does not end fully by the end of the summit. Council (GCC) leaders to attend the 38th GCC summit due in Kuwait on December 5-6, an official source at the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said. The invitations were handed to I think that the invitation from Kuwait for the sum- Gulf leaders by Kuwaiti ambassadors in GCC member states, the source added. His Highness the Amir has acted as a mediator to bridge the gaps between GCC states ever mit was not in vain and that the timing would not have since the diplomatic crisis between them started in June. —KUNA been possible without the initial approval of heads of the Gulf countries, including Qatar, to participate with- out specifying the level of representation, and this can- not be confirmed today. Most press reports stated that Kuwait received assurances from Riyadh that it is keen on the GCC system and open to resolving the Gulf cri- sis. I guess Kuwaiti diplomatic moves in recent weeks Zain Community Partner mean that consultation on the summit was held before official procedures began and were released to media. I think there is a chance for a possible partial eas- ing of the Gulf crisis. Since the outbreak of the Gulf problem about seven months ago, there was no direct meeting between the parties involved, which means of fifth Qout Market that the Kuwaiti summit will be the first direct contact between the Gulf officials in this purely Gulf gather- ing, and this is a gain and success for Kuwaiti foreign policy.