LONDON, July 11: Outspoken Muslim cleric Yussef al-Qaradawi addressed some 3,000 people at a London conference on Sunday as he continued a controversial visit to Britain.

The Egyptian-born, Qatari-based preacher and Muslim Brotherhood figure took to the stage at a conference centre in north west London for the "Our Children Our Future" event. There had been reports that might withdraw from the gathering, which was backed by the London Metropolitan Police.

Qaradawi - banned from the United States since 1999 - arrived in London on July 5 for a week-long stay, prompting demands for Prime Minister Tony Blair's government to expel him for his views which include support for Palestinian suicide bombers.

Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir John Stevens revealed on Thursday that police were monitoring Qaradawi after an official complaint was lodged by the Board of Deputies of British Jews, which has called for a ban on him.

Stevens also said that the police had already submitted a file on Qaradawi to prosecutors for comment - a potential first step towards formal charges being pressed against him.

But on Friday the British Crown Prosecution Service said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute Qaradawi. In an interview in Arabic at his home in Qatar last month, rebroadcast earlier this week on BBC television, Qaradawi spoke openly about his views on Palestinian suicide bombers.

Asked if Islam justified suicide bombings in Israel, he said: "It's not suicide. It is martyrdom in the name of God." Last week Qaradawi lashed out at his critics in Britain in front of 3,500 worshippers in Arabic at the Central London Mosque, asking whether if they had truly read his books or heard his lectures. -AFP