The Kuwaiti Foreign Minister, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, said yesterday his country was opposed to any military action against Iraq, although he ruled out reconciliation with President Saddam Hussein.
"We do not support any military intervention against Iraq or by Iraq," Sheikh Sabah told a press conference here after talks with the Egyptian President, Mr Hosni Mubarak.
"I hope that the Iraqi regime will resort to wisdom to prevent the bloodshed of the Iraqi people and save us all. If the regime is determined to confront the Security Council, I hope there will be no Iraqi victims," he said.
Sheikh Sabah also ruled out "good ties" between his country and Iraq, which invaded the tiny Gulf state in 1990. "Reconciliation is impossible as long as the Saddam regime is in place," he said, ruling out a meeting with the visiting Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tariq Aziz.
Sheikh Sabah also regretted that efforts by the United Nations and the Arab League "failed" to bring Mr Saddam to his senses.
"Iraq did not give the Arab League a chance to do anything, while the UN secretary general tried but failed," Sheikh Sabah said. Earlier he emerged from a meeting with Mr Mubarak saying talks focused on "the Iraqi and US threats because the threats are not only from one side".
The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr Amr Mussa, said Mr Mubarak's talks with Sheikh Sabah focused on "finding a diplomatic solution to contain the crisis" which pits Iraq against the US and the United Nations.
Baghdad expelled the six Americans working for the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) charged with dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction last Thursday, accusing them of spying on behalf of Washington. Iraq insists the US is using the disarmament issue to keep a seven-year UN trade embargo, imposed on the country after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, until the fall of Mr Saddam.
Mr Aziz is coming to Cairo as part of a diplomatic mission to Arab countries of north Africa. He will also meet the Arab League Secretary, Gen Esmat Abdel Meguid.
The Arab League chief yesterday hailed Sheikh Sabah's visit as "very timely" and said he hoped US and British military preparations in the Gulf would not lead to an attack on Iraq.
Bahrain called for "restraint" from all sides in the Iraq-UN crisis as the US Secretary of State, Ms Madeleine Albright, arrived in Manama on the second leg of a lightning Gulf tour.
Earlier yesterday Ms Albright, in Qatar where she attended the opening of a Middle East economic conference, called for a united Arab front against President Saddam. She also visited Kuwait and Saudi Arabia the same day for talks on the Iraq crisis.
In Amman, Jordan warned the US that its reputation could be further tarnished by military action against Iraq. Crown Prince Hassan ibn Talal told the BBC that his country was in favour of "respect for international will" in the 19-day standoff between Iraq and UN weapons inspectors.