Kuwait denies existence of Iraqi captives in its prisons

The Kuwaiti government denied yesterday that it holds 1,115 Iraqi captives in its prisons as alleged by Iraq. Kuwaiti official sources said that these allegations have nothing to do with truth. The sources pointed to the more than 4,000 Iraqis who live safely in Kuwait, and they stated that residency was renewed for more than 200 other Iraqis during 1997. The sources urged Iraq to stop these allegations which they said are aimed at harming Kuwait's image before the international community.