TEHRAN -- At the end of his visit to Iran on Sunday, the Kuwaiti Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Muhammad Sabah al-Salim as-Sabah praised Iran-Kuwait developing ties and stressed the proximity of views held by the two countries in most fields. He told the Kuwaiti news agency that Iran expressed interest in achieving stability and security for the region as well as a mutual expansion of ties.

He also singled out a prime purpose of his visit, i.e., conducting negotiations with Iranian officials over the Palestinian issue, which he said is top in Kuwait's agenda.

Sheikh Sabah called the Iraqi invitation to negotiate directly with Kuwait as a form of "deceit," saying it is a common ploy of the Iraqi regime so as to violate Security Council resolutions. The Kuwaiti official moreover said that he has heard about the Iraqi plan with regard to Iranian POWs.

Denying any kind of relationship between his trip and that of a possible trip to Iran by his Iraqi counterpart, he said that Kuwaiti officials had previously been invited to Iran by officials of this country which happens to fall during the 40th anniversary of establishment of formal political ties between the two countries. Sheikh al-Sabah left for Kuwait Sunday evening after a successful three-day visit to Iran to confer with Iranian officials.