ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER Tuesday 10 September 2013 4 Dhul-qa’da 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5818 Price: QR2 Qatar Serena Exchange index triumphs again drops 1.15pc in New York Business | 18 Sport | 28 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 Panic as Qatar Russian plan to avert Syria strike BEIRUT/LONDON: As President Barack Obama strug- gled to rally Congress and the American people behind mili- Airways plane tary action in Syria, Russia seized on a remark by his sec- retary of state yesterday to say Damascus should save itself hits turbulence by handing over its chemical weapons. John Kerry was quick to dismiss as hypothetical his own comment Dubai-bound flight returns to Doha that Syrian President Bashar Al Assad could avert US strikes by DOHA: A Dubai-bound Qatar the window. The pilot suddenly surrendering his chemical arse- Airways flight had to return announced that he was going to nal to international control. But to Doha apparently after being take a round of the airport in Assad’s ally Russia quickly turned caught in a storm cloud over Dubai before landing due to bad it into a firm proposal that was the Emirate late yesterday weather.” “welcomed” by Damascus and afternoon. While landing the plane slipped echoed by UN chief Ban Ki-moon. So turbulent was the weather into a thick cluster of clouds and Rebels fighting Assad’s forces that the plane, an Airbus 320- the descent became much faster, on the ground, where hundreds 100/200, had to make its way said the tweeter. “We felt that the are being killed by conventional back just as it was on approach pilot had lost control” bullets and explosives every week, to the Dubai International “There was fear and panic dismissed any such weapons Airport. (in the plane). We were expect- transfer as impossible to police Back in Doha, a shocked pas- ing the aircraft to hit (apparently and a decoy to frustrate US plans senger of the cancelled flight with a thud) the runway.” to attack. tweeted that the plane, while it But the pilot steered the plane The White House said it was was close to Dubai International up and saved it from hitting the “seriously sceptical” but would Airport on its approach, suddenly ground. take a “hard look” at the proposal. A group of anti-Assad demonstrators waving the Free Syria flag rally in front of the US Capitol on Capitol Hill, in slipped into a cluster of clouds “Everything became normal a Kerry later called Lavrov to Washington, DC, yesterday. and plunged. little later, and we were informed tell him that while his remarks The tweeter, Mohamed Al that we were headed back to had been rhetorical and the punished for what Washington he isn’t about to do it and it can’t Suwaidi, said that the sudden Doha,” said Al Suwaidi. United States was not going to says was a poison gas attack on be done.” plunge caused a number of women Contacted for comment, Qatar “play games,” if there was a seri- rebel areas that killed over 1,400 The State Department later GCC meet today and children on board to scream Airways said it was releasing a ous proposal, then Washington people on August 21. said Kerry had been making a RIYADH: Foreign minis- and throw up. media statement. would take a look at it, a senior The president surprised friends rhetorical argument about the ters of the Gulf countries “So sharp was the plunge that The release said flight QR112 US official said. and foes by turning to Congress impossibility of Assad turning will meet today in Saudi we thought for a moment that from Doha “experienced severe With President Obama pre- for approval, delaying any US over chemical weapons, which Arabia to discuss measures the plane would hit the ground, turbulence” on approach to the paring to make his case in televi- response. Assad denies his forces used. against Syria. Countries of but luckily, the pilot lifted it Dubai International Airport. sion interviews later yesterday to Asked by a reporter during a Less than five hours later, the Gulf Cooperation Council back.” “To ensure passenger comfort Americans wary of involvement visit to London whether there Russian Foreign Minister Sergei “support taking interna- Al Suwaidi said: “We could hear and safety, a decision was made to in another distant war, the arma- was anything Assad’s govern- Lavrov said he had put what tional measures to deter screams of women and children in return the flight to Doha and wait ments proposal could complicate ment could do or offer to stop a sounded like Kerry’s proposal to the Syrian regime,” the dip- the plane and many men could be for improvement in the weather,” his task — or give the president US military strike, Secretary of his visiting Syrian counterpart lomat told AFP yesterday. heard loudly recite verses of the said the airline. an alternative to military action. State Kerry answered: during talks in Moscow. Walid The ministers will meet in Holy Quran,” said Al Suwaidi on The flight was subsequently The outcome of votes in “Sure. He could turn over every Al Moualem said Damascus wel- Saudi’s western port city of his Twitter account. “There was cancelled and all the passengers Congress remains hard to predict. single bit of his chemical weapons comed the Russian initiative — Jeddah. The GCC has openly fear and panic.” were accommodated on the “next Obama has argued that Assad, to the international community while not spelling out whether voiced support for the rebel- The flight remained bumpy service reaching Dubai,” the air- fighting to continue his family’s in the next week — turn it over, Syria would, or even could, lion against President Bashar for almost five minutes, accord- line said. THE PENINSULA four-decade rule in a civil war all of it without delay and allow comply. REUTERS Al Assad. AFP ing to the tweet. “I was sitting at Continued on page 5 well into its third year, must be the full and total accounting. But More reports on page 5 German strength Ex-PM backs Egypt’s Sisi No remittances by CAIRO: Former Eg y ptian Prime Filipinos on Sept 19 Minister Ahmed Shafiq says he will back army chief General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi for presi- BY FAZEENA SALEEM 23 countries. Also, the OFW on dent, adding to speculation that its Facebook page has requested the man who led the overthrow DOHA: Filipinos in Qatar will compatriots based abroad to join of President Mohammed Mursi join millions of their country- the campaign. could become head of state. men overseas on September 19 However, several Filipinos here Shafiq, a former air force com- in a global campaign against told this newspaper they wouldn’t mander who came second in last alleged corruption in the send money home on September year’s presidential election, said Philippines and will not remit 19 as it is the middle of the month. he would not run if Sisi stood in money home on that day as a “It’s true the impact would the election expected next year. mark of protest. have been more if it was in the The comment suggests why, The unique protest is against beginning of the month, yet ‘Zero- just months before the election, alleged misuse of funds that Remittance Day’ would show the there are no declared candidates Congressmen are supposed to economic power of the Filipinos as politicians wait to see if Sisi is spend in their constituencies on working overseas,” said Marisol going to run. development work. Amihan, organising committee In separate comments, former Remittances by overseas chairman of Overseas Filipino Arab League chief Amr Moussa, Filipinos is a major source of for- Investors and Entrepreneurs said Sisi would win by a landslide. eign exchange for the Philippines, Movement. REUTERS Power sports athlete and multiple ‘Strongest Man of Germany’ title holder, Heinz Ollesch, pulls a 7 tonne truck and figures suggest an estimated “This is a very big scam in our Full report on page 6 in Chemnitz, Germany, yesterday. The German Truck Pull Championships will take place at the utility vehicle 10 million overseas Filipinos country, it has hit hard. I saw the trade show ‘Commcar’ in Chemnitz, on October 12 and 13. remitted $20.11bn in 2011. campaign on Facebook and appre- The symbolic protest on ciate the move, yet I’m not sure September 19, termed a Zero- how many people would actually Remittance Day, is to press need to send money home as it is Manila to abolish the system of in the middle of the month,” said allocating development funds to a Filipino, who gave his name as Fall in Arab migrant workers in GCC: Expert Congressmen (members of the Alihthar. He suggested the cam- country’s parliament). paign should have been waged in DOHA: The proportion of Arab migrant visas, but the 1991 Gulf war changed the sit- due to their ‘economic superiority’. This is already a big scandal the first week of the month. workers in the oil-rich GCC region has uation,” George Naufal, assistant professor Countries like UAE and Qatar, where over in the Philippines and has drawn “There are so many protests in dropped substantially over the past several of economics at the American University of 90 percent of the workforce comprises foreign- widespread protests. “We overseas the country and now the time has years, says a labour market expert. Sharjah, said yesterday.