KUWAIT CITY -- The government announced yesterday that electric power had been restored to nearly one-third of Kuwait City, but the government's spokesman remained in the dark.

A tour through the neighborhoods in which the government claimed power had been restored found them still without electricity. "It came on for about 45 minutes and then went off," said Mohamud Al-Jumal, a teacher in one of the neighborhoods.

In other neighborhoods, residents said the power remained on for nearly two hours but then cut off.

A government spokesman had no explanation for the confusion.