In a blunt newspaper interview, Mr Blair also labels the far-right politician's views as racist and attacks his use of "narrow-minded nationalism".

I don't know Le Pen but I find his policies repellent

Tony Blair

Since Mr Le Pen won through to the second round of the French presidential elections, knocking Prime Minister Lionel Jospin out of the contest, thousands of people have taken to the streets in France in protest.

Mr Blair's comments come as Mr Le Pen, a Euro MP, prepares to take his anti-Europe message to Brussels.

He plans to declare his opposition to the single currency and the EU as a whole at the European Parliament on Wednesday. 

In his interview with the Guardian newspaper, Mr Blair said: "I don't know Le Pen but I find his policies repellent.

"I think it is vitally important that people who believe in democracy, who loathe those policies of racism and narrow-minded nationalism, fight it at every level, politically, organisationally, and culturally." 

The prime minister's comments come after Foreign Secretary Jack Straw urged politicians from left and right to unite against racial hatred in the wake of the shock gains made by Le Pen in the French presidential elections. 

There are fears Le Pen's victory could encourage Britain's far-right groups

Mr Blair admits the defeat of Mr Jospin leaves Britain more isolated in Europe.

However, in the newspaper interview he insisted he would not be deterred from ensuring Britain was a "leading player" in the European Union.

"Any situation in Europe is going to be used by some people opposed to Europe as a reason why Britain shouldn't be a part of Europe... I'm convinced that Britain should be a strong and leading player in Europe.

"I think that is our destiny."

Immigration

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) has already warned the French experience may prompt far-right groups in Britain to attempt to seize the political momentum during next month's local elections. 

And Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith also said extremists had to "be opposed". 

Mr Le Pen, who founded the National Front in France, has provoked controversy over a number of outspoken comments.

He described the holocaust as a "detail of history" and claimed that France risked "being submerged" by immigrants. 

The far-right's advance in France is being blamed partly on concern about asylum, crime and immigration.

And in Britain on Wednesday, MPs are gearing up to debate a range of tough new measures aimed at cracking down on illegal immigrants. 

They will discuss a range of proposals including forcing employers to disclose information about foreign employees.

Failure to do so could lead to up to three months in prison.

Asked if the church leaders were likely to adopt the so-called "one strike and you're out" policy for priests found to be abusing children, Washington archbishop Cardinal Theodore McCarrick said, "Oh yes, I think so".

He said the cardinals, who are expected to issue a statement at the close of their two-day meeting on Wednesday, had to work from the Pope's strongest statement on abuse so far issued the previous day.

Cardinal Law is under pressure to resign

Cardinal McCarrick said the Pope had re-affirmed his statement during a private lunch with the US delegation on Wednesday.

The BBC's David Willey in Rome says the issue hinges on whether paedophile priests should be allowed to continue working after repentance and therapy, or whether they should be removed from the priesthood. 

Cardinal McCarrick said opinion was divided among the cardinals over whether the policy should also be applied to priests known to have molested children in the past.

US scandal

The Roman Catholic Church in the US has been criticised for transferring priests known to have molested children instead of suspending them and telling the police.

I will talk my children out of being an altar boy or girl and that is the saddest thing Sandra, Canada

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There have been growing calls for the resignation of Cardinal Bernard Law, who is accused of letting sexual abuse by priests in the city go unchecked. 

The Pope summoned the cardinals for two days of closed-door talks after it became clear that the Church was being damaged by the scandals.

The proposals agreed at the meeting are expected to go forward to a meeting of all American bishops in June.

Resignation pressure

More than 400 complaints have been lodged against priests in the Boston diocese alone. 

Demonstrators have been calling for Archbishop Law to go

One unnamed US cardinal told the Los Angeles Times that he and other prelates planned to urge the Vatican to ask Cardinal Law to resign.

But Cardinal Law has shown no signs of standing down and Russell Shaw, a former press secretary to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops said he suspected there would be no pressure from the Pope. 

Accusations of child molestation have also been made in at least 16 other US dioceses including Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and San Francisco. 

The scandals are a huge financial burden for the Church and there is talk that some archdioceses will be bankrupted as a result.

Although the US Church is the hardest hit by sex abuse allegations, similar scandals have hit clergy in different countries in recent years, including Austria, Ireland, Poland, France and Mexico. 

The employees - construction workers, cleaners, food workers and at least two baggage screeners - were accused of lying on applications to get security passes.

John Ashcroft said the arrests "should be a wake-up call for every airport"

A nationwide operation by law enforcement and transportation authorities has netted about 350 people since the attacks on Washington and New York when four domestic flights were hijacked and crashed deliberately, killing thousands.

Attorney General John Ashcroft said: "There will be zero tolerance of security breaches at our nation's airports."

But the government said there was no evidence that the people arrested were linked to any terrorist group or that any had compromised aviation security.

Gun convictions

Most of the people arrested - US citizens as well as foreigners and illegal immigrants - have been charged with lying on security applications, using false Social Security information and immigration offences.

Some had criminal records including drugs and weapons charges and others were fugitives wanted in other states, authorities said.

A plane from Dulles was crashed into the Pentagon on 11 September

But Mr Ashcroft said jobs that allowed workers access to sensitive parts of airports and onto planes were positions of trust and that law officials would continue to crack down on violations.

The latest arrests involved 68 workers at Dulles, 26 at Reagan National and six at Baltimore-Washington International.

Dozens more people have been indicted and are expected to be arrested in the operation, codenamed "Fly Trap".

Mr Le Pen, one of France's five National Front MEPs, faced jeers and placards saying "Non" (No) as he stood up to speak on the Middle East on Wednesday.

His presence in the chamber caused the European Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, to make a pointed reference in his own speech on the subject, describing Mr Le Pen as "one of the less agreeable aspects of European civilisation". 

The French National Front leader has vowed to take France out of the EU if he wins the second round of the presidential election on 5 May.

His arrival at the parliament provoked scuffles and shouts in the lobby, which was crowded with camera crews. Young demonstrators protested outside the venue in Brussels.

In his speech on the Middle East, Mr Le Pen accused Europe and France of being absent from the conflict and letting the US take the lead.

Election fever

French President Jacques Chirac has refused to hold a televised debate with Mr Le Pen. 

Despite some pressure to take on Mr Le Pen and his extremist views, Mr Chirac declared that such "intolerance and hatred" made a debate impossible.

The debate has been a feature of French presidential campaigns since the 1970s, and Mr Le Pen condemned his rival's decision as an "attack on the rules of the democracy". 

He was in part backed by an opinion survey, conducted by CSA, which showed that seven out of 10 French people wanted to see a debate between the two.

	Jean-Marie Le Pen  Born in 1928 in the Brittany town of La Trinite-sur-Mer Set up the National Front in 1972  In 1987 he described the Holocaust as a "detail of history" Wants 200,000 new prison places, the abolition of inheritance tax and a renegotiation of European treaties Click here for a full profile

Mr Le Pen has been a member of the parliament since 1984, but has rarely attended its debates. 

Speaking on French television on Tuesday, he outlined plans for referendums to win a clear mandate for his controversial policies. 

"The first referendum will be held on the totally abnormal institutions and links created between France and the Europe of Brussels and Maastricht, which have enslaved our country and emptied it of substance," he said.

Mr Le Pen said the election run-off would be as big a surprise as the opening round last Sunday. 

Support for Chirac

But all the mainstream parties, of left and right, are now supporting Mr Chirac and he is expected to win by a landslide.

"France is confronted with a grave situation," Mr Chirac warned on Tuesday. "What is at stake is its soul, its cohesion, its role in Europe and the world." 

Click here for the election results 

Street protests against Mr Le Pen's success have continued, with students marching in Paris and other cities such as Lyon, Rennes, Orleans and Rouen. 

Wave of anger

For a third night police in the capital resorted to tear gas to disperse anti-Le Pen protesters.

Some 90,000 people took to the streets across France on Tuesday, in what has become a daily outpouring of anger over Mr Le Pen's ousting of Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin in the presidential race.

Mr Le Pen has blamed rising crime on mass immigration and said he would implement policies of "national preference," meaning that in France "the French are treated better" than others.

I think Razali will insist the [government] shows concrete progress

Asian diplomat

There were no details of his talks with Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League of Democracy (NLD), which were held at her lakeside residence and lasted for two hours.

Earlier he met the junta's number three, Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt, the influential chief of military intelligence.

Neither Mr Razali or the Burmese Government made any official comment on those talks either.

But the UN envoy is reported to have told local businessmen afterwards that he had "a good meeting" with General Khin Nyunt.

A South-East Asian businessman told AP news agency that Mr Razali was optimistic of progress "in a few weeks".

Ongoing dialogue

This is Mr Razali's seventh visit to Burma since he initiated secret talks in October 2000.

On arriving in the country on Tuesday he said he was "always optimistic" and told representatives of Burma's ethnic minorities he hoped for progress in the dialogue between the pro-democracy leader and the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy won 1990 elections by a landslide but the military junta refused to give up power.

The opposition leader has been under house arrest since September 2000 when she tried to take a trip outside the capital Rangoon. Rumours have been rife in diplomatic circles that the junta might be about to release her, perhaps during or shortly after Mr Razali's visit.

Crunch time

UN officials say Mr Razali's visit is a make-or-break trip because the international community is growing increasingly impatient at the lack of concrete results. 

Mr Razali is on a four-day visit to Burma

The negotiations have so far resulted in the release of about 200 political prisoners, but have achieved little else. Mr Razali has hinted he might resign if he leaves the country empty-handed this time.

Diplomats say that only Aung San Suu Kyi's release can counter growing suspicion that the junta is using the negotiations as a means of ending the poverty-stricken country's isolation and lifting crippling sanctions.

"I think Razali will insist the [government] shows concrete progress," an Asian diplomat based in Rangoon told Reuters. "The easiest way to do it is to release Aung San Suu Kyi."

Mr Razali is also to meet Senior General Than Shwe, the leader of Burma's junta at some point during his four-day visit.

He will again meet Aung San Suu Kyi on Friday, party officials said.

The police said they were looking into possible links with Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.

A woman who lost two children in the blast is comforted

The arrests brought to five the number of suspects accused over the bombs, which exploded in a busy shopping area.

The first two suspected militants arrested on Tuesday have been charged with murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of explosives. 

Regional police chief Colonel Bartolome Baluyot said he hoped to make further arrests soon.

President Gloria Arroyo has ordered tightened security in General Santos city, calling the bombings "a crime against the Filipino people". 

Suspected militants

The death toll from the bombings rose to 15 on Tuesday after one of the scores of injured, a man who suffered shrapnel wounds, died in hospital. 

But a MILF spokesman has denied the charge, while another militant group, the Abu Sayyaf, has said it carried out the bombing.

The MILF is the main guerrilla group campaigning for independence for the Muslim minority in the southern Philippines, while the US links Abu Sayyaf with the al-Qaeda network.

Hundreds of US soldiers have been sent to the southern Philippines to train the army in its fight against the Abu Sayyaf.

Jorge Remes Lenicov - Argentina's fifth economy minister in as many months - stepped down after Congress refused to consider emergency legislation to prevent the banking system from collapsing. 

The president understood that social peace was in jeopardy and decided to undertake a general review of his strategy

Anibal Fernandez, presidential aide

Banks remain closed and there are growing fears of a return to the violent unrest which shook the country in December and forced the then President Fernando de la Rua to step down.

After meetings with congressional, provincial and union leaders, Mr Duhalde is expected to announce a major government reshuffle as well as new emergency plans, reports from Argentina say.

'Mafia bonds'

"The president understood that social peace was in jeopardy and decided to undertake a general review of his strategy," Anibal Fernandez, a presidential aide, said on television.

The government is hoping its new economic programme will give it a better platform to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund.

Remes Lenicov failed to secure IMF aid

He also failed to win political backing for his plans to end the run on the country's banks. 

Congress refused to consider the package, which would have allowed Argentine banks to convert about 60% of deposits into government bonds - in effect forcing people to lend money to a government they do not trust to pay up.

Protesters who gathered outside the upper house of Argentina's parliament responded by dubbing the proposed securities "Mafia bonds".

The crowd cheered upon learning that the Senate had refused to debate the bill, and cheered again when they heard that Mr Remes had resigned.

More protests are expected on Wednesday, when legislators convene to debate the economic crisis.

President 'weakened'

Banks have been ordered to remain shut until Friday, when Congress is due to have completed its debate of the proposed legal changes.

President Duhalde is to announce a new cabinet

President Duhalde has warned that the run on banks could lead to the collapse of the country's banking system.

The move to close the banks partially succeeded, in that the withdrawals were indeed stopped.

But the public mood turned sour when Mr Duhalde promised the International Monetary Fund that he would push ahead with economic and legal reforms and a serious belt-tightening exercise.

Analysts say the latest turmoil has left President Duhalde in a weakened position, dependent on securing the support of the country's powerful provincial governors.

Colombia is a potential breeding ground for international terror equalled perhaps only by Afghanistan

Committee report

The report says members of the IRA helped to train the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the guerrillas' former haven, together with members of groups from Cuba, Iran and possibly Spain. 

However, in a statement on Wednesday the IRA denied any involvement with the FARC or any other group, and described the arrest of three Irishmen last August as an attempt to undermine the Northern Ireland peace process.

A preview of the report said: "Colombia is a potential breeding ground for international terror equalled perhaps only by Afghanistan...

"It is likely that in the former FARC safe haven, these terrorist groups had been sharing techniques, honing their terrorism skills, using illicit drug proceeds in payment and collectively helping to challenge the rule of law in Colombia."

The House Committee of International Relations, which spent nine months carrying out the investigation, concludes that Washington should consider directing aid to fighting terrorism in Colombia, as well as drug-trafficking.

The arrests [of IRA suspects] illustrate a new and dangerous escalation in FARC's ability to carry out terrorist bombings as well as the reach of global terrorism into the Western hemisphere

Committee report

The inquiry was launched after the three Irishmen - two from the Republic of Ireland and one from Northern Ireland - were arrested on suspicion of teaching bomb-making to FARC - which the US has designated a terrorist organisation.

"The arrests illustrate a new and dangerous escalation in FARC's ability to carry out terrorist bombings as well as the reach of global terrorism into the Western hemisphere," the report said.

Republican politicians and the Bush administration want new legislation to allow the US to extend its financial support to Colombia from fighting the war against drugs to fighting the war on terror.

President George W Bush has presented a budget request to Congress for $27bn to fight terrorism.

Colombian authorities said that not only had the IRA operated in the former safe haven on behalf of FARC, but also the Iranians, Cubans, and possibly the Basque independence group ETA, among others. 

Sinn Fein invite

The leader of the IRA's political wing Sinn Fein, Gerry Adams, has declined an invitation to appear before the committee hearing which is discussing the report.

Mr Adams sent a letter to the panel saying he had received legal advice that the hearing and his attendance at it could prejudice the trial of the three men arrested in Bogota.

The inquiry was launched after the arrest of three alleged terrorist trainers

There has been an upsurge in violence in Colombia since peace talks between FARC and the government broke down earlier this year.

FARC and other rebel groups in Colombia are thought to be responsible for 90% of the cocaine and 70% of the heroin sold on America's streets. 

Under "Plan Colombia", the US donates military hardware for Colombia to use against drug lords but it may not yet be used for other campaigns. 

A group of Maoist terrorists ordered the housekeeper to go out and then blew up Mr Deuba's house

Local administrator

 The strike was said to be waning on Wednesday, with many businesses in the capital, Kathmandu, and elsewhere reopening.

President Bush's administration says it will seek approval from the US Congress for $20m of military aid for the government to combat the rebels.

 The Nepalese Government has now offered rewards of $64,000 for the capture of three of the leading Maoists.
 
 

Ministers targeted

Prime Minister Deuba was in Kathmandu when the rebels attacked his family home in the town of Assigram, some 490 kilometres west of the capital.

 "A group of Maoist terrorists ordered the housekeeper to go out and then blew up Mr. Deuba's house," local administrator Narendra Raj Sharma told the AFP news agency.

The rebels have carried out several attacks recently

The Maoists have targeted the houses of other ministers in recent weeks.

Mr Deuba has ruled out any resumption in peace talks until the rebels lay down their arms.

They broke off peace talks last November, resuming their attacks.

That prompted King Gyanendra to declare a state of emergency, freeing the army to join in the fight against the rebels.

Some 3,000 people have been killed since the rebels began their campaign to abolish the constitutional monarchy six years ago.

 Much of Nepal was paralysed on Tuesday, the first day of the rebels' strike, with many ordinary Nepalis afraid of defying the call for a total shutdown of the country.

However there were clear signs of life returning to normal on Wednesday.

 Traffic in Kathmandu was estimated to have returned to about 50% of normal levels. Domestic flights were running again.

 Much of the east of the country was still said to be shut down though, and long-haul public transport was still affected.

In one eastern district, Mahottari, a group of rebels attacked a broadcasting station of the state-owned Radio Nepal, destroying costly equipment including transmitters. 

Built in 1990 with Japanese assistance, this was the first radio station to be destroyed by the rebels.

Military financing

US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told journalists on Tuesday that his government was "reviewing several options for military assistance with Nepal".

 "We've asked Congress for a supplemental appropriation of $20m in foreign military financing for Nepal, so that we can support more assistance," he said, AFP reports.

 US military advisers have been touring parts of Nepal recently held by the rebels.

The Nepalese Government is waiting to see if its offers of $64,000 rewards for the capture or killing of three senior Maoist rebels will have any effect.

The bounty has been offered on the heads of Maoist supremo Pushp Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda, Mohan Vaidya, alias Kiran, and Baburam Bhattarai.

This is the first time Nepal has fixed prices on the heads of Maoist rebels.

The home ministry has offered rewards for other rebels as well. 

The refugee camps lack adequate food and medicines

More than 800 people, mostly Muslims, have died in religious clashes in the state forcing thousands to seek temporary shelter in relief camps.

State officials say they are now concerned over the spread of disease in the camps, in the face of soaring temperatures.

The Indian parliament is to debate and vote on the situation in Gujarat next Tuesday, placing the government in direct confrontation with the opposition.

Violence

Police in the Gujarat commercial capital, Ahmedabad, said seven people died overnight after being injured in violent clashes on Tuesday.

One of the victims died after being stabbed in the Shahpur area while three others were killed in police firing in the Mirzapur and Gomptipur areas of the city. 

The authorities say 21 others were injured.

On Tuesday night, an armed mob surrounded the office of the Ahmedabad police chief, demanding that a Muslim relief camp be closed down.

Reports say they destroyed shops and Muslim shrines in the neighbourhood blowing up cooking gas cylinders to set off fires.

Health risks

Thousands of victims are housed in several camps in the city, after their homes were destroyed.

The army has been deployed to quell the violence

Conditions in the camp are desperate with shortages of sanitary facilites, water and medicines.

Human rights groups have deplored the conditions saying they provide inadequate food and medical care and that many of the traumatized victims are suffering from psychological abuse.

The authorities say that cases of measles and jaundice have been reported from some of the camps.

We have now asked the state to hold vaccination camps everyday," Indian Health Minister CP Thakur told The Times of India newspaper.

Debate

The Gujarat crisis has placed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led federal coalition government under tremendous pressure.

Opposition parties as well as some of the BJP's coalition partners have demanded that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi be replaced.

On Tuesday, the opposition won a demand to hold a debate in parliament on Gujarat, followed by a vote.

Some of the BJP's alliance partners have hinted they may vote against the government.

Although the government will not fall if it loses the vote, a negative outcome will come as a severe embarrassment. 

Russia called US withdrawal from the ABM treaty 'a mistake'

Neither side spoke of the outcome of the talks which were expected to continue during Wednesday, but Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin said the negotiations were "not proceeding very easily". 

The talks were the latest round of consultations aimed at reducing both countries' nuclear arsenals, ahead of a summit between George W Bush and Vladimir Putin in Moscow and St Petersburg in May.

Stumbling block

Both presidents are committed to reducing current strategic arsenals to between 1,500 and 2,200 warheads each from the current levels of 6,000 and 7,000 over the next decade.

Click here for details of the nuclear balance

President Bush initially pressed for an informal agreement, but later agreed to Russia's demand to have a formal and legally binding accord.

Mr Putin has been insisting on the need for a "reliable and verifiable agreement".

However, the talks have run into trouble over Moscow's objection to stockpiling missiles rather than destroying them. 

Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov is due to meet US Secretary of State Colin Powell next week in Washington to review the progress of the talks.

Russian experts say that the relations between the two countries - bolstered by Moscow's support for the US-led war on terror - would remain strong even if the agreement is not signed at the May summit.

Despite a public outcry in Russia, President Putin has softened his objections to the US decision to unilaterally withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty (ABM) last year, enabling Washington to proceed with building its anti-missile shield. 

President Putin said the US decision was a mistake, but it would not harm Russia's security interests. 

By the BBC's David Bamford  Cairo correspondent

The speech marks the 20th anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from the Egyptian Sinai under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty. 

Mubarak's tone contrasted with that of earlier statements

His condemnation was coloured by the strongest words he has used to describe the Israeli authorities since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon began his military offensive against the Palestinians in March.

He accused Israel of going beyond all limits and using state terrorism to commit appalling violations of human rights against Palestinian civilians. 

Mr Mubarak said that following their barbaric and systematic aggression, the Israelis were in the process of destroying evidence of the horrendous crimes perpetrated under the pretext of fighting terrorism. 

US 'failures'

He also pointed to what he described as certain international powers for failing to live up to their responsibilities. 

While not naming the powers concerned there is no doubt that Mr Mubarak is putting the Bush administration high on that list. 

The Americans are likely to be dismayed that Mr Mubarak, one of their staunchest Middle East allies, has taken off the diplomatic gloves in his characterisation of developments in the region. 

His view reflects the mood throughout the Arab world that Mr Sharon is in the process of crushing all hope of Palestinian independence and the Americans can no longer be relied upon to restrain him.

Israel invited the EU mission to the region three weeks after denying it access to Mr Arafat during the Israeli military offensive in the West Bank. Mr Solana is also due to meet the Israeli defence and foreign ministers.

Negotiations are also continuing for a second day in Bethlehem to try to end the three-week stalemate at the Church of the Nativity, where some 200 people, including Palestinian gunmen, are trapped.

We don't want to end up with some kind of diplomatic Frankenstein's monster

Dore Gold Israeli Government adviser

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has sent the three existing members of the inquiry panel to Geneva for preliminary meetings, before they head to the region on Saturday - one day behind schedule.

Israel complained that no military or counter-terrorism experts had been appointed to the panel, which Israeli officials say was set up to "find Israel guilty" of committing a massacre. 

In other developments:

• Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak accuses Israel of using "state terrorism" to crush "legitimate Palestinian resistance" to the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank
• Three members of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade die in an explosion near Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza
• Three 14-year-old Palestinian schoolchildren are shot dead as they try to enter a Jewish settlement
• Israeli forces kill two people during a raid on a Palestinian-ruled village near Hebron
• The militant Palestinian group urges children to refrain from futile attacks against Israelis

A UN inquiry into the Jenin offensive has been delayed

Israel says that among those trapped in the church - which include civilians, priests and nuns - are many Palestinian militants which are on Israel's wanted list.

One of those allegedly on the list was shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers after he shot at them late on Tuesday, according to Israeli sources.

The Israeli military completed its withdrawal from most West Bank cities and towns on Sunday, but its tanks and forces are still surrounding the Bethlehem church.

The Israeli army is also surrounding the Ramallah complex, where Yasser Arafat is holding talks with EU officials.

Palestinian anger

The meeting came as the United Nations agreed to delay an investigation into the Israeli military offensive at the Jenin refugee camp following an Israeli objections to the composition of the team. 

Palestinians, who accuse the Israeli army of killing hundreds of people in Jenin, are accusing Israel of trying to undermine the integrity of the fact-finding process. 

"This is another flagrant violation of relevant Security Council resolutions and of course a violation of international law," said the Palestinian observer at the UN, Nasser al-Kidwa. 

Israel insists that those killed were overwhelmingly hardline Palestinian militants who elected to fight to the death after Israeli troops gave them a last chance to surrender. 

'Diplomatic monster'

Mr Annan named former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari to lead the UN fact-finding mission. 

The team also includes Cornelio Sommaruga, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, and Sadako Ogata, the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

The team also includes retired US General William Nash and Peter Fitzgerald of Ireland, but only in an advisory capacity for military and police issues, respectively. 

Both the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees and the ICRC have alleged that the Israeli army violated human rights during the 10-day operation in Jenin by preventing emergency teams from rescuing people trapped under buildings. 

Israel's ambassador to the UN, Yehuda Lancry, said the UN team's mandate should cover not only the Israeli operation but also "the terrorist network which has flourished in the Jenin refugee camp".

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's adviser, Dore Gold, called the mission "a kind of diplomatic Frankenstein's monster" that would end up monitoring Israeli activities beyond Jenin, something that Israel is keen to avoid. 

A statement from Mr Annan's office said the delay would allow consultation about adding experts to the panel "as deemed necessary". 

Israel launched its offensive to root out what it calls the Palestinian "infrastructure of terror" following a wave of suicide bombings that killed scores of people in Israeli cities.