By GEOFF CUMMING and AGENCIES
Afghanistan's religious leaders last night urged terrorist suspect Osama bin Laden to leave the country - but say they will not force him out.
After a two-day meeting of hundreds of Muslim clerics, Afghanistan's Bakhtar news agency reported: "The Ulema [the meeting] wants the Islamic emirate of Afghanistan to encourage Osama to leave Afghanistan, but of his own free will."
The country's Taleban rulers, facing a massive United States military build-up in the Gulf, are expected to follow the meeting's direction.
Before the statement was issued, a Taleban diplomat in Pakistan said bin Laden was prepared to stand trial if Washington could produce evidence against him.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taleban's deputy ambassador, said bin Laden, named as the prime suspect in last week's attacks in New York and Washington, could be tried in Kabul or in another Muslim country.
"If there's evidence, he is ready for a trial," Mr Shaheen said. "He said, 'I am not involved, I am a guest [in Afghanistan]. If they have evidence, I am ready'."
Mr Shaheen said Washington was not providing evidence because its real purpose was to combat Islamic Governments.
"They want to destroy Afghanistan and Pakistan," he said. "Even if Osama is handed over to them, they will find another excuse to destroy both these Islamic nations. When that's over, they will find a third and a fourth excuse."
The Taleban's reclusive, one-eyed spiritual leader, Mullah Mohammed Omar, shown here in this rare image from the BBC's website , bluntly warned that bin Laden would not be handed to the US unless it produced clear evidence of his involvement in the attacks.
And the clerics yesterday urged Muslims worldwide to declare a jihad, or holy war, against the United States if it attacks Afghanistan.
"If a powerful country attacks a weak country, it is a jihad for all Muslims. When a non-Muslim country attacks a Muslim country, it also is a jihad," the clerics said.
The decision is unlikely to deter America from its preparations for a war on terrorism and diplomatic efforts to forge an international coalition.
As the clerics met, American Defence Department officials ordered more than 100 bombers, fighters and support aircraft to the Middle East and Indian Ocean in an acceleration of a military buildup called Operation Infinite Justice.
The aircraft will join around 200 planes already stationed in the region. An extra aircraft carrier is on its way from Virginia, and 2200 Marines leave North Carolina today.
The US Government had no immediate comment on the clerics' edict, which also criticised President George W. Bush for offending Muslims by referring to his campaign against extremists as a "crusade."
But as the military components are put in place, President Bush is today expected to call for patience.
In a speech scheduled for 1 pm (NZ time) he will stress the need for a sustained campaign against a shadowy enemy with links to more than 60 countries.
The US Senate has approved the issue of war bonds to allow people "to make a direct contribution to the war on terrorism" amid hopes that placing the country on a war footing will boost the economy.
The ripple effects of last week's attacks continue to plague the US and world markets, with big job losses and sharply lower growth forecasts.
Wall St resumed its slide to three-year lows, taking markets in Asia with it despite interest rate cuts by central banks.
President Bush and his advisers continued meetings with foreign leaders in the drive to build a global coalition.
After meeting Secretary of State Colin Powell, Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Russia was ready to cooperate in the "war on terrorism" and would not block US involvement with former Soviet states which border Afghanistan.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark urged the US to keep a cool head.
"I think the good news is that the US is taking a long time to think about this."
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, representing a nation crucial to Arab support for the US, said after meeting Mr Bush that the focus should be on justice. Caution was also sounded by French President Jacques Chirac and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
In Pakistan, widespread protests from Islamic fundamentalists were expected after its military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, agreed to let the US use its airspace and to provide intelligence and logistical support.
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