September 27, 2006	Wednesday	Ramazan 3, 1427

KUWAIT CITY, Sept 26: The Gulf state of Kuwait on Tuesday slapped an indefinite ban on all fish imports from Iran and Pakistan on health grounds, Commerce and Industry Minister Falah al-Hajeri said.

The ban was attributed to a suspicion that some fish imports from the two Asian nations could contain bacteria that cause cholera, the minister told the state-run KUNA news agency.

Some members of the municipal council have alleged that the emirate's food health authorities have allowed Iranian and Pakistani fish imports into Kuwait despite testing positive for the cholera microbe.

The council is scheduled to hold an emergency session on Wednesday to discuss the issue. —AFP