KUWAIT REJECTS IRANIAN SPY BOAT CHARGES
  Kuwait, a target of Iranian anger over the
  emirate's backing for Iraq in the Gulf war, today rejected
  charges that fishing vessels seized recently by Iran were spy
  boats.
      "There are no bases of truth to the contents of the Iranian
  accusation on the nature of the operations of the vessels
  recently taken into custody by Iran. These vessels were out
  fishing," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
      It said Iranian Charge d'Affaires Mohammad Baqeri was
  summoned by the Ministry yesterday to confer with Foreign
  Undersecretary Suleiman Majed al-Shaheen.
      The Iranian News Agency IRNA said on Sunday Iran had seized
  seven Kuwaiti speed boats and detained their crew, who
  confessed to spying for Iraq under the cover of fishing.
      It said the boats were intercepted in the Khur Abdullah
  waterway which separates Kuwait and Iraq's Faw peninsula at the
  head of the Gulf, captured by Iran last year.
      The Kuwaiti response came as Iranian envoys toured Gulf
  Arab states saying responsibility for security and stability in
  the waterway was a regional matter. A U.S. Senate team was
  scheduled today to meet Kuwait's Crown Prince and Prime
  Minister Sheikh Saad al-Abdulla al-Sabah and the defence and
  oil ministers.
      Today's Foreign Ministry statement, carried by the Kuwait
  News Agency KUNA, said the recent detention of Kuwaiti fishing
  vessels by Iran was not the first.
      Tehran in the past had held back a number of vessels Kuwait
  had sought to release through diplomatic contacts, it said.
      "However, Kuwait is perplexed that this time the Iranian
  charges are accompanied by accusations that the vessels were
  undertaking espionage activities," it said.
      Shaheen condemned the detentions and accusations, and asked
  Tehran to free all fishing boats and sailors held by Iran, the
  statement said.
  

