KUWAIT CITY: Saudi Shiia clerics and intellectuals besides Iraqi government, Kuwaiti premier, clerics and politicians, and Lebanese Hezbollah have criticized remarks by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak about the loyalty of Shiias to their countries.

In comments, aired on Saturday, Mubarak said Shiias in Arab states were more loyal to Iran than their own countries.

"We see no acceptable justification for such remarks," said a statement, made available to Reuters on Monday, signed by 122 members of Saudi Arabian Shiia clerics.

Kuwait Shiia Muslims Society issued a statement starting with a saying of holy Prophet (p), “loyalty to motherland s a part of faith”. It said that Shiia citizens in gulf in general and in Kuwait in particular are loyal to their soil and countries

The Kuwaiti premier Monday defended the Emirate's Shiias after Mubarak’s accusation.

"This matter does not concern Kuwait at all because history testifies to the well-established and clear national stand of Kuwaitis Sunnis and Shiias," Sheikh Nasser Mohammed al-Ahmad as-Sabah said.

"The comments have upset Iraqi people who come from different religious and ethnic backgrounds and has astonished and discontented the Iraqi government," Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari told reporters, flanked by President Jalal Talabani, and Adnan al-Pachachi, and the parliament's acting speaker at a joint news conference held to denounce Egyptian President's comments.

"We are astonished that Egypt identifies Iraq's security problems as a civil war. Our people are still far away from any sectarian conflict or a civil war," the statement read by Jaafari said.

Lebanese Hezbollah movement denounced Sunday the comments and said the words are aimed at sowing discord wished for by America.