Kuwaiti defense minister heads for Washington

The Kuwaiti news agency KUNA announced that the defense minister, Sheikh Salem al-Sabah, left Kuwait on Wednesday for the US in the course of a tour which will also cover France and Switzerland.

The Kuwaiti news agency reported that Sheikh Salem will preside, together with his US counterpart William Cohen over US - Kuwaiti military meetings.

Kuwait had intended to buy 48 US "Paladin" artillery packages at a cost of US $436 million, a matter which raised vast opposition in the Kuwaiti Nation's Council (parliament). The council was recently dissolved according to an emiri decree in Kuwait.