WORLD IN BRIEF

-- Doug Struck

THE MIDDLE EAST

· BAGHDAD -- A row between Iraqi Transport Minister Salam Maliki and British forces has shut down the international airport in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, to civilian traffic. Maliki accused the British, who oversee security in the southern city, of mistreating visiting Iraqi dignitaries and airport employees.

"The way the British were treating the employees, passengers and government officials was bad, at times making them wait outside the airport facilities for hours," he said at a news conference. "This is considered an insult to the Iraqis."

Tension has mounted in recent weeks between British troops and Iraqi police and government officials. Last month, the British army detained several Iraqi policemen, sparking widespread protests. Many police officers are members of a militia loyal to outspoken Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr, who counts Maliki among his devotees.

-- Jonathan Finer

· VIENNA -- Iran told the International Atomic Energy Agency to remove surveillance cameras and agency seals from nuclear sites and equipment by the end of next week, the U.N. watchdog agency said. Iran's demands came two days after the IAEA reported Tehran to the Security Council over its disputed atomic program. The council has the power to impose economic and political sanctions.

In a report to the IAEA's 35-member board, agency head Mohamed ElBaradei said Iran also announced a sharp reduction in the number and kind of inspections IAEA experts will be allowed, effective immediately.

· SAFAGA, Egypt -- Hundreds of relatives of passengers on a ferry that sank Friday in the Red Sea with more than 1,400 people aboard attacked the offices of the ship's owners, throwing furniture into the street and tearing down the company's sign. Police responded with tear gas.

· ANKARA, Turkey -- Turkish leaders said the killing of an Italian Catholic priest appeared to be the work of a lone gunman, but also signaled fears of a possible link with the rage sweeping the Muslim world over caricatures of the prophet Muhammad. Andrea Santoro, 61, was shot as he prayed in his church Sunday in the Black Sea city of Trabzon.

-- From Staff Reports and News Services