By Yusuf Al-Saeedi

KUWAIT, May 29 (KUNA) -- Kuwait deputy prime minister and foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah said Monday openness towards East Asia and the Asian continent in general was one of priorities of Kuwait foreign policy.

Sheikh Mohammad, speaking to reporters before departing to China for the Sino-Arab ministerial seminar due Wednesday, said the Kuwaiti foreign policy was active to boosting the "Economic Diplomacy."

Sheikh Mohammad, accompanied by Bahrain's foreign minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al-Khalifa, said HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah would embark on an Asian tour to Bagladesh, India and Pakistan.

Sheikh Mohammad said the Amir believed in importance of boosting cooperation with the three countries, citing Sheikh Sabah's Asian tour last year which took him to Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister, meanwhile, said the Gulf foreign ministers would meet in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, next Saturday to discuss regional cooperation and the Iranian nuclear issue.

He said upcoming regional meetings would be held to discuss the Iranian nuclear program, the Middle East peace process and the situation in Iraq. Foreign ministers of the Islamic countries will meet in the Azeri capital, Baku, next month.

Sheikh Mohammad noted that the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states have been calling for a direct contact with Iran to emphasize necessity of regional security and stability.

Any accident that might occur in Buchehr nuclear reactor will impact on the entire Gulf region because both sides overlook the Arabian Gulf, he said.

Sheikh Mohammad said a ranking delegation from the GCC states would head to Iran to explain the GCC concern over the nuclear program and try to assure all parties about its peaceful nature.

He anticipated the date of the visit to be set in the next GCC foreign ministers' meeting.

Sheikh Mohammad, talking about preparations for parliamentary elections in Kuwait slated for June 29, said Kuwait was an open country and everybody was expressing himself freely but in accordance with the law.

Bahrain's foreign minister, for his part, hoped the Sino-Arab seminar explore new horizons of cooperation.

He said China has an important role at the regional and international fronts.

Sheikh Khaled Al-Khalifa called for establishing relations with China based on mutual interest, particularly at the economic front.