An official celebration will be held in Washington tomorrow to mark Kuwait as a major non-Nato ally, the only country with this status honoured with an official ceremony.

The designation of Kuwait as a major non-Nato ally by the United States reflects the fact that the two countries have and would continue to enjoy an important strategic partnership, a senior American Defence official said yesterday.

In an interview with KUNA, Assistant Secretary of Defence for International Security affairs, Peter Rodman, said the best example of a strong strategic partnership was the outstanding co-operation between the US and Kuwait in the war that ended Saddam Hussain's regime in Iraq.

The designation of Ku-wait as a major non-Nato ally, announced shortly after the visit of Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad to Washington last September, adds more strength to the already strong ties between the two countries, Rodman said.

"This is an important moment in US-Kuwaiti relations. The designation of Kuwait as a major non-Nato ally has a lot of symbolic significance. It just marks the fact that Kuwait and we have been strategic partners over a long period and have a continuing strategic partnership that is important for both sides," the US official said.

"We just had a great success in Iraq a year ago on top of the success in the Gulf war. But the need for this partnership continues," the official said.

Rodman said the designation of such status, only given to 12 countries, is exclusive with countries, which the United States has a strategic partnership.

"It has a political significance," Rodman said, praising Kuwait for the role it has played in the fight against terrorism and in the war in Iraq.

But Rodman said the strategic co-operation between the two countries must continue to bring about full stability to Iraq, saying despite the success in the war, there remains to be a difficult mission ahead that requires more co-operation.

"We have to finish the job in Iraq. That struggle is very important for the future of the whole Middle East, important for the future of Kuwait's security and for the whole region," he said.

"Its not over yet and therefore we and Kuwait need to still have the same determination to finish the job. But its an important moment in the Middle East and we are proud of what we did and think we are making something very positive happening. The problems we have now are nothing compared to the threat that Saddam represented," Rodman said.

Despite the difficult mission ahead in Iraq, Rodman drew an optimistic picture about the future of Iraq, saying the United States is highly satisfied with the harmony enjoyed by the different ethnic and religious groups in Iraq.

He said the ongoing violence in Iraq would not deter the determination of the different groups to establish a democratic and peaceful Iraq not a threat to its neighbour and the region.

The Iraqi Governing Council, due to take over sovereignty power by July 1, signed last month an interim constitution, a step seen as a major development to the future stability of Iraq with the rights given to the different groups equally.

"We haven't finished the job in Iraq, but we will," he said.

"I am optimistic about the future of Iraq. There is a new Iraq, a very positive Iraq. We are pleased the different gro-ups have come together and formed the governing council; they just reached an agreement on an interim constitution.

"So we are convinced that the Iraqis are succeeding in building a new constitution for a new moderate Iraq. That will help defeat the terrorist."