SUBSCRIPTION SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015 JAMADA ALTHANI 29, 1436 AH No: 16494 Value of Kuwait, India Phelps glad Kuwaiti finalizing to be back, passport modalities wins 100m falls 4 for nurses5 butterfly43 Iraq Sunni insurgency leader Al-Douri killed Min 24º 150 Fils Killing of former Saddam’s aide a ‘major victory’ Max 33º BAGHDAD: Ezzat Ibrahim Al-Douri, a former aide to late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and a leader of Iraq’s Sunni insurgency, may have been killed by Iraqi forces and Shiite militias fighting the insurgents. Douri was killed in a military operation, Raed Al-Jubouri, the governor of Salahuddin province said. The pan-Arab television network Al-Arabiya showed photos of a dead man who looked like Al-Douri. However, Khdhayer Almurshidy, a spokesman for Iraq’s former Baath party, said in comments to Iraq’s Al-Hadath televi- sion that the reports were false. Al-Douri was a senior member of the party. Al-Jubouri told Reuters that “a group of security forces went and surrounded the area and those terrorists were killed. Three of them were suicide bombers and blew them- Ezzat Ibrahim Al-Douri selves up. Amongst the bodies was Douri’s.” “is considered a mastermind for this terrorist He said the operation was carried out in the group,” referring to Islamic State, an offshoot Hamrin area near Al Alam in Salahuddin of Al-Qaeda which has taken swathes of Syria province, but that Iraqi forces did not know and Iraq. “For sure, this will have an impact on Al-Douri was there beforehand. Jubouri also them ... There will be a break among them,” RIYADH: Picture shows a billboard bearing an image with a soldier and Saudi King spoke to Al-Arabiya, where he described the he said. Salman bin Abdulaziz and reading “my country, we all protect your soil”. — AFP operation as a major victory. He said Al-Douri Continued on Page 14 In Saudi, Yemen war Saudi bourse opens is ‘something good’ doors to foreigners RIYADH: A newspaper hails Saudi Arabia’s and Arabs and Islam,” said Ghamdi, who “brave armed men”. Students build a sparked controversy in the conservative LONDON: As Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion-plus stock valuations, this seems to have done little remote-controlled fighter plane as a tribute kingdom last year when he appeared in a bourse prepares to open its doors to foreigners to dispel investors’ enthusiasm. “Everyone to warplanes bombing Yemeni rebels. A video with his wife whose face was uncov- in June, outside investors appear ready to wants to have a crack at Saudi Arabia,” said phone company offers patriotic songs as ered. On Yemen, his views follow the offi- accept the political and financial risks as they Nick Smythie, chief investment strategist at ringtones. This is wartime in Saudi Arabia, a cial line which accuses Iran of supporting finally get access to a market that rivals Brazil Emerging Global Advisors. “It’s the biggest tightly controlled Islamic kingdom where the Houthis, despite Tehran’s denial of sup- and Russia’s. Worth more than all other Gulf market in the Middle East and a substantial almost every audible voice is behind the plying weapons. Saudi Arabia’s top cleric, Arab markets combined, it is one of the last country which offers exposure not just to ener- three-week-old air campaign against Shiite Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, major global bourses to allow direct invest- gy but also to infrastructure, financials and oth- rebels in neighboring Yemen. “Our king has has called the Yemen operation “a blessed ment from foreigners and the opening is the er sectors.” done something good,” said Saud step”. most anticipated economic reform in the While market capitalizations vary with stock Mubarak, an unemployed man in his mid- The rebels swept into the capital Sanaa region of recent times. prices and currency rates, the Saudi bourse is 20s. last September from their highland strong- The move is likely to start the process of currently worth $528 billion compared with He echoed the government view of the hold and then advanced south on the port incorporating Saudi Arabia into major equity $600 billion for Brazil and $491 billion for absolute monarchy that the Saudi-led mili- city of Aden, forcing Hadi to flee to Riyadh. indices by the likes of MSCI, and this could Russia. It features the world’s largest chemicals tary coalition acted to stop the Houthi The coalition began its campaign after attract as much as $24 billion in foreign capital, producer, Saudi Basic Industries Corp, and rebels’ advance and to help the legitimate Saudi Arabia feared the Houthis, allied with according to one estimate. Foreigners will still Saudi Telecom Co , the Gulf’s biggest telecoms government of President Abedrabbo army units loyal to former president Ali not have unfettered access and definitive rules operator. At the moment foreigners have Mansour Hadi. “We’re all happy about that,” Abdullah Saleh, would take over all of have yet to be published. And yet the prospect access to the market only through swaps and said Mubarak, a former security guard. Yemen and move it into the orbit of Shiite of market opening has already helped the exchange-traded funds, and the opening has Sheikh Ahmed Al-Ghamdi, former head of Iran, Sunni Saudi Arabia’s regional rival. Saudi stock index to outperform its Gulf peers been slower than many investors expected. the religious police in the holy city of Ghamdi said Iran is untrustworthy “like a over the past 12 months. In August last year, the Capital Markets Makkah, said “over 90 percent” of people in fox” and is the “enemy for Muslims and the Nevertheless, the index is down 2.7 percent Authorities (CMA) published draft rules gov- the kingdom support the operation in Arabs”. The coalition says it has killed hun- in the period as revenue from the Saudi oil erning the opening of its bourse to so-called Yemen, which has been dubbed “Decisive dreds of Houthis. Six Saudi armed forces industry, which accounts for more than 90 per- qualified foreign investors and started consul- Storm”. personnel have died and others have been cent of government income, has shriveled. tations. These proposed foreign ownership be “I feel that what the kingdom of Saudi wounded in skirmishes along the frontier Saudi involvement in the conflict in neighbor- capped at 10 percent of the market’s total val- Arabia did was 100 percent right... not only with Yemen. ing Yemen has also heightened political risk. ue and 20 percent of any particular stock. for Yemen but all the countries of the Gulf, Continued on Page 14 Yet even in combination with relatively high Continued on Page 14 LOCAL SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015 His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah Amir sends condolences to Saudi King KUWAIT: His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah sent yesterday a cable to the King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, expressing condolence over the death of Prince Faisal bin Abdulmajeed Al-Saud’s mother. HH the Deputy Amir and Crown Prince Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and HH the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al- Hamad Al-Sabah sent similar cables. — KUNA PACA stresses exchange of KUWAIT: National Assembly Speaker Marzouq Ali Al-Ghanim returned home, after wrapping up a visit to the US where anti-corruption expertise he took part in a conference, organized by the Global Parliamentary Network of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He was received at the airport by senior officials including his deputy, Mubarak Al-Khurainej, DOHA: Kuwait’s Public Anti-Corruption Authority (PACA) yester- Minister of Oil and Minister of State for National Assembly Affairs Dr Ali Al-Omair. Ghanim’s delegation included MPs Dr day stressed the momentousness of exchanging expertise for the Yousef Al-Zalzalah and Dr Khalil Abdullah. — KUNA implementation of relevant regional and international conven- tions. This has been enhancing countries’ capabilities for apply- ing the provisions of regional and international accords they ALO conference opens today signed for combating organized crime, especially preventing and countering corruption, said Mohammed Bu-Zubar, PACA’s Assistant Secretary-General. KUWAIT: Under the auspices of His He made the statement on the sidelines of the 13th UN Congress Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al- on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Doha, which concludes Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the 42nd ses- tomorrow. The relation between the international efforts and the sion of the General Conference of the national social policies, especially corruption, is a mutual and inte- Arab Labor Organization (ALO) will be grative responsibility, he said, adding that this is one of the reasons held in Kuwait tomorrow. behind organizing such congresses. The conference, which goes through According to Bu-Zubar, PACA has April 25, will gather Acting Prime offered the UN major event a host of Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh proposals within the framework of Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and seeking practical methods to remove representatives of government organi- the obstacles hindering the implemen- zations, employers, trade unions and tation of the two UN Conventions, against Transnational Organized experts in socio-economic development Crime, and against corruption. He not- from across the Arab world. ed that the provisions of these two The gathering will debate a range of conventions still need procedural issues foremost among which is the mechanisms and arrangements to be report of the ALO Director General followed for the full enforcement and Ahmad Lokman themed ‘social dialogue KUWAIT: ALO Director General Ahmad Lokman (left) and Social Affairs and effectiveness of both.