Kuwait Concerned over Iran's Bushehr Nuclear Plant

KUWAIT CITY (AFP) – Kuwait has expressed concern over an Iranian nuclear reactor on the opposite shore of the Gulf, saying it fears the fallout from possible leaks, the official news agency reported.

"Kuwait's concern is based on fears of any leaks due to natural causes that may have future consequences," foreign ministry undersecretary Khaled al-Jarallah was cited as saying by the KUNA news agency late Monday.

Kuwait is the nearest country to the Russian-built nuclear plant in the Iranian city of Bushehr, which lies just at the other end of the narrow Gulf.

A number of Kuwaiti MPs called on the government to take precautionary measures against any incident from the Iranian plant.

Iran loaded the Bushehr facility with nuclear fuel on Saturday and the United States said there was no "proliferation risk" from the civilian plant because of Russian involvement.

Kuwaiti media have reported that a senior Iranian official is due to arrive in Kuwait within days, possibly to discuss the nuclear plant issue.

During a short visit late Monday, Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani conveyed the outcome of his meeting with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Sheikh Hamad said in statements cited by KUNA that the Bushehr powerplant was an Iranian affair.

"If the plant is peaceful and for power use according to our information, then this is a legitimate right for Iran under international law and we do not want to change this framework at the present time," he was reported as saying.