LONDON - Britain unveiled on Wednesday what it said was further evidence that Osama bin Laden masterminded the Sept 11 attacks on the United States.

It published a 23-page document listing Bin Laden statements and a series of assertions about his associates.

Prime Minister Tony Blair's spokesman said the document was directed at the "ever dwindling number of people around the world who believe Osama Bin Laden and al Qaeda were not responsible".

The paper, published in parliament, included quotes which the government said Bin Laden uttered on a video that has not been broadcast but is circulating among his al Qaeda network.

"'It is what we instigated for a while in self-defence ... So if avenging the killing of our people is terrorism, let history be a witness that we are terrorists,'" the document quoted the Saudi-born dissident as saying.

It said Britain had learnt that shortly before Sept 11, Bin Laden said he was preparing a major attack on the United States.

But it could never have been carried out without the support of Afghanistan's Taliban, now in headlong retreat.

The British government produced a first list of assertions about Bin Laden's guilt last month.

It said that of the 19 hijackers identified as taking over four planes in the US on Sept 11, at least three had been positively identified as associates of Bin Laden with track records in his camps and organisations.

One of the three had also been identified as playing a key role in attacks on US embassies in east Africa in 1998 and later on the US warship Cole in Yemen, Blair said at the time.

Wednesday's updated document said the "majority" of those hijackers had now been shown to have links to Bin Laden.

"The detailed planning for the terrorist attacks of September 11 was carried out by one of Bin Laden's close associates," it said.

It did not name the suspect.

As last month, the government said it had not detailed the "totality" of its evidence and intelligence in order to protect its sources.

The government's conclusions remained the same:- Bin Laden and al Qaeda planned and carried out the September 11 attacks- They retain the "will and resources" to carry out further attacks.

- Britain and British nationals are potential targets. - Nampa-Reuters