Ahmadi-Nejad & Mubarak In Kuwait.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, on a visit to Kuwait, on Feb. 27, sought to reassure GCC states about Tehran's nuclear ambitions, saying the strength of Iran was for the good of its neighbours. President Mubarak was also in Kuwait on Feb. 27 on a GCC tour in efforts to close Arab ranks in view of their splits on various issues.

Ahmadi-Nejad's visit coincided with a confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Muhammad el-Baradei, which was circulated to the agency's board members ahead of a March 6 meeting likely to pave the way for a UN Security Council action over Iran's nuclear programme. Russia has dampened hopes of a deal with Iran and reminded Tehran that it must first freeze its domestic uranium enrichment.

In the first visit to Kuwait by an Iranian head of state since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Ahmadi-Nejad talked to reporters, after meeting with Emir Shaikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and said: "We want peace, security, progress for all the countries of the region, especially our neighbours. History has shown Iran is a good neighbour...in the region. We are just working on nuclear fuel for peaceful purposes". Asked about Arab and Western calls for the region to become nuclear-free, he said: "We too demand that the Middle East be free of nuclear weapons, not only the Middle East, but the whole world should be free of nuclear weapons. We believe that these weapons, possessed by the superpowers and the occupiers in our area, are a threat to stability".

President Mubarak later in the day said in remarks aired by al-Jazeera TV that Egypt wanted a peaceful solution to the standoff between Tehran and the West over its nuclear plans. But his Qatari host, Emir Shaikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, said Tehran seemed to be pushing ahead with its programme, adding: "We hope they reach a solution but it is almost clear that the Iranians are pressing ahead with their [nuclear] projects".

Iran has already been reported to the UN Security Council after failing to convince the world that its nuclear ambitions are entirely peaceful. The IAEA report said: "It is regrettable and a matter of concern that the uncertainties related to the scope and nature of Iran's nuclear program have not been clarified after three years of intensive agency verification". It said Iran's co-operation had been lacking but left the door open to Iran coming forth with more information.

The report, sent to the 35 IAEA member-states, said: "Although the agency has not seen any diversion of nuclear material to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, the agency is not at this point in time in a position to conclude that there are no undeclared nuclear materials or activities in Iran". It said further verification would take time, in a sign that the agency was not closing the door on Iran.

Iran has failed to resolve questions about centrifuges which make enriched uranium and about studies into missile work and a secret "Green Salt" project for a uranium conversion plant which are linked and could have a military dimension. The IAEA report said there were questions about Iranian work in reprocessing plutonium, which like enriched uranium can be material for bombs.

A Japanese official quoted Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki as saying in Tokyo that Tehran would not suspend its atomic research and development. The IAEA report showed Iran pressing ahead with enrichment at home by going from testing a lone centrifuge - a machine which spins uranium gas into enriched uranium - to actually introducing the gas into 10 centrifuges and beginning enrichment between Feb. 11 and Feb. 15. Furthermore, said the report, Iran began final maintenance of an additional 20 centrifuges, reflecting determination to further expand enrichment.

The US reacted warily to a Russia-brokered deal, saying the theocracy "cannot be trusted". White House spokesman Scott McClellan told reporters in Washington: "We will see. Given their history, you can understand why we remain skeptical. The regime has shown they cannot be trusted".