Merkel says talks with Iran still possible

"Even if the United Nations has decided on sanctions, the door for negotiations remains open," Merkel said at a joint press conference with Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah.

"I hope that reason will prevail and that we will be able to hold talks again," added Merkel, whose country currently holds the rotating European Union presidency.

The premier of Kuwait, which lies just across the Gulf from Iran, also stressed the importance of going back to negotiations over Tehran's nuclear drive.

"It is important now to have unconditional negotiations. We have to sit down at the negotiating table and talk openly and without conditions," he said. "It is absolutely necessary to have peace in the region."

EU foreign ministers agreed late January to implement the full raft of UN sanctions against Iran to punish Tehran for failing to meet international demands over its nuclear programme.

The UN Security Council in December adopted a resolution imposing sanctions on Iran for its repeated refusal to fully cooperate with the UN atomic energy watchdog or suspend uranium enrichment.

Merkel was in Kuwait after a stop in the United Arab Emirates where she met Emirati President Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan on Monday as part of talks with Gulf leaders on international efforts to revive the Middle East peace process.

Her regional tour has also taken her to Riyadh and Cairo.

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