Kuwait City - Kuwait's government resigned on Tuesday to prevent the country's parliament from questioning the prime minister, Dubai based al-Arabiya channel reported.

Speaker Jassem al-Kharafi called off a parliamentary session after the government refused to attend.

Some members of parliament had wanted to question Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Mohammad al-Ahmad al-Sabah about a visit to Kuwait by a Shiite Iranian cleric, who they claimed had insulted Sunni Muslims.

Kuwait, which has a Sunni majority, is just across a narrow body of water from majority-Shiite Iran.

Al-Kharafi earlier adjourned a session for 15 minutes when ministers started to walk out of the parliment hall one after another, Kuwait's KUNA news agency reported. (dpa)