KUALA LUMPUR - Acting Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today slammed the US for submitting a false report to the United Nations o­n Iraq's alleged nuclear weapons programme.

Describing the action as "a worrisome and shameful act," Abdullah said Malaysia was sad that the United States attempted to use it as evidence to attack Iraq.

"It's a shame that this should have happened," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Abdullah made the comments when asked to respond to the revelation by UN weapons inspectors that the US had submitted several documents to prove its allegations that Iraq was conducting a nuclear weapons programme.

Such actions would spark anger among the world community, he warned.

Fraudulent allegations

On the question of possible Iraqi uranium imports from Niger, the head of the UN's nuclear watchdog Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday his agency had determined that documents said by the United States and Britain to support the allegations were fraudulent.

"Based o­n thorough analysis, the IAEA has concluded, with the concurrence of outside experts, that these documents -- which formed the basis for the reports of these uranium transactions between Iraq and Niger -- are, in fact, not authentic," he said.

"We have also concluded that these specific allegations are unfounded," ElBaradei added.

ElBaradei, chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said: "After three months of intrusive inspections, we have to date found no evidence or plausible indication of the revival of a nuclear weapons programme in Iraq." - AFP