12 April 2004	Monday	21 Safar 1425

KUWAIT CITY, April 11: Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah warned in remarks published on Sunday that the scheduled June transfer of power to Iraqis could lead to a partition of the war-ravaged country.

"The situation in Iraq is very dangerous ... Iraq could be partitioned if Washington insists on meeting the deadline to hand power to an Iraqi government" by June 30, Sheikh Sabah told Kuwaiti newspaper editors.

Such an Iraqi government "will not be able to assume authority and only God knows what the outcome would be, which would affect us, being Iraq's neighbours," said the premier, whose comments were published in Al-Anbaa daily.

The emirate has backed coalition plans to transfer power to Iraqis at the end of June, but the latest escalation in fighting, which has pitted US-led forces against Iraqis in several cities, has apparently raised concern here. "I feel that (some) do not want to see Iraq stable. This is a concern for us and for other neighbouring countries," the premier said. -AFP