Kuwait on Tuesday expressed hope that Iran would comply with the UN resolution on its nuclear program.

"We hope that Iran's nuclear issue would show some progress and the international community would be satisfied with it," Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah told reporters at a joint press conference with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The minister also called for Iran's cooperation with the United Nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1737 on Dec. 23, 2006, demanding Iran to "suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, including research and development, and work on all heavy water-related projects."

The resolution also called on all states to impose a ban on trade with Iran in goods related to its nuclear programs and ballistic missile delivery systems.

Iranian officials have rejected the resolution as an "illegal measure" and vowed to continue the country's nuclear programs.

Concerning a new U.S. strategy on Iraq, Sheikh Mohammad al- Sabah said that Arab countries would like to see the United States reinforce its military presence in Iraq to prevent the country from sliding into a civil war.

Prior to the conference, Rice held a meeting with foreign ministers of six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states plus Egypt and Jordan.

The GCC groups Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Kuwait is the last stop of Rice's Mideast tour, which has taken her to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Source: Xinhua