LONDRES: Britain said on Tuesday that US aircraft carrying weapons to Israel would be allowed to make stopovers at British airports if they observed the correct procedures. “As long as proper procedures are followed, permission will be granted for such flights,” the foreign office said.

“We don’t comment on the handling of individual flights.”

It was not clear whether both military and civilian airports were covered by the announcement.

Two US military cargo aircraft had refuelled on Sunday at Mildenhall, a British-US base in eastern England. They had been diverted from Prestwick, a Scottish airport near Glasgow, where there was a demonstration against the conflict.

The previous weekend the arrival of two US military planes at Prestwick caused a minor crisis between London and Washington because the United States had not informed Britain of the hazardous nature of their cargo.

The BBC said the diversion to Mildenhall followed a call to British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett from a minister with responsibility for Scotland who feared political repercussions. Six US aircraft are reported to have landed in Britain en route to Israel carrying arms.—AFP