The American defence secretary, William Cohen, is in Kuwait on the latest stage of a hastily-arranged tour to discuss the crisis over weapons inspections in Iraq.

The BBC Gulf correspondent says there is mounting speculation over whether American bases in the region will be used in the event of any military action against Iraq if it continues to refuse to co-operate with the inspectors.

A Saudi official was reported as saying that King Fahd told Mr Cohen that Saudi Arabia could not be used as a springboard for attacks on Iraq.

But an American official said the subject was never raised during their meeting.