Germany bans Islamic conference

Berlin's authorities have banned an Islamic conference which they say planned to lend support to violent attacks on Israelis and Americans.

The interior minister for the capital said the event overstepped the line of what was permissible in Germany.

The conference, set for next month, was to rally support for what it called the struggle against US-Zionist occupation of Palestinian territories and Iraq.

One of the organisers was deported to Lebanon on Saturday.

The man, Fadi Madi, told AFP news agency that the US had put pressure on Germany to stop the event from taking place.

But Berlin's Interior Minister, Ehrhart Koerting, said that anyone who used Germany as a platform to campaign against other countries and praise terrorist attacks forfeited his right to stay in the country.

German embassies and consulates had already been told to refuse visas for anyone wanting to attend the conference.