KUWAIT CITY (IRNA) -- Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah here on Tuesday stressed Iran's great position in the region, reiterating his country's determination to bolster ties with Tehran.

The Kuwaiti emir made the remarks in a meeting with visiting Head of the International Center for Dialogue Among Cultures and Civilizations Mohammad Khatami, who arrived here Sunday on a four-day visit.

Kuwait and Iran enjoy friendly ties and the two countries' officials are making efforts to further promote bilateral relations, the Kuwaiti emir said.

He added that he would launch his regional tour of some Asian states including the Islamic Republic of Iran and expressed hope that he would hold fruitful talks with senior Iranian officials on further consolidation of ties.

Pointing to Iran's peaceful nuclear program, he called for increasing safety measures of Iran's power plant to prevent nuclear pollution.

He praised the role played by Khatami in promoting stability and security and wished success for him in his efforts to establish international peace.

Khatami, for his part, stressed Iran's determination to bolster ties with all Islamic states including Kuwait.

He said Iran's nuclear program is completely peaceful, adding, "There is no room for concerns about peaceful nuclear activities of Iran. Safety of Iran's power plants is based on latest international standards.

Earlier on Monday, Khatami met with Kuwait's Prime Minister Nasir al-Muhammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah and discussed issues of mutual interest.

Khatami also said on Monday night internal despotism and external colonialism have been two major factors leading to backwardness of Islamic countries.

Khatami made the comment in his address titled, 'Challenges Facing the Islamic World; Ways to Promote Islamic Movement' at Arabic Poetry Library, in the presence of Kuwaiti thinkers and authors. Khatami added, "Among the challenges with which the Islamic World is entangled today, there is the need to accept the bitter realities of the day, mislocation of resources, yielding to the plots hatched by the West against us in a bid to disturb the balance of power in Islamic World, and growth of extremist tendencies."

He considered efforts aimed at changing the despotic regimes and replacing them with democratic political systems through preparing the societies for acceptance of democracy, convincing the Islamic societies to reject any type of foreign interference, as well as the interference of puppet regimes, and taking advantage of the God-given wealth in order to strengthen the Islamic world scientifically, as ways to get rid of despotism and neo-colonialism.