Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah on Wednesday called on the United States to close down Guantanamo prison in a meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

This issue was very important for the U.S. long-term interests, as the jail has been hurting the country's reputation and credibility, Sheikh Mohammad told reporters, citing what he said to Rice earlier in the day.

The minister also refuted claims that Kuwaiti detainees there were dangerous and belonged to terror organizations.

"They are good citizens who did not perform any act that disrupted security since their return," he said.

He said that Rice promised to discuss the matter with President George W. Bush after returning home.

Rice ended her six-nation Mideast tour earlier in the day and is expected to return home Thursday following a stopover in Europe.

There are 395 detainees in the prison, four of them Kuwaitis.

The United States claims that the captives, mostly members of the al-Qaida or Taliban, are too dangerous to stand normal trials.

Source: Xinhua