PARIS (AFP) - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says he has not seen any proof of Osama bin Laden being "the brains" behind the terrorist attacks on the United States and warns Washington against over-hasty reprisals in a newspaper interview to be published on Saturday.

"That's what the Americans say and they surely have their reasons," Mubarak told the French daily, Le Figaro.

He also strongly criticised Britain's asylum policy for allowing Islamic radicals into the country as refugees.

In the interview, he urged Washington not to rush into taking action: "Wait until your investigation is finished. Hold back until you know who the criminals are.

"If you launch an indiscriminate attack against Afghanistan or one of the other countries on your list of 'rogue states', you are going to kill a lot of innocent people. Just like the terrorists who came to kill innocent people in your country."

"If the US punishes solely the murderer, then no-one will criticise it and no muslim will accuse it of waging war against Islam because our religion is against terrorists and murderers.

"But the remedy must not end up being worse than the problem."

Mubarak said he believed the current lack of information could not allow one to blindly join the coalition being advocated by US President George W. Bush.

He proposed instead an international conference, under UN auspices, which could draw up an agreement declaring terrorism as illegal.

"States signing up to this would actively make terrorists unwelcome, not allow them to set up training camps and not allow them free movement," he explained.

"And governments which refused to apply this agreement would find themselves under an international community ban."

He went on to describe how he felt the current crisis would involve a long battle which would be fought on several fronts.

"But for that we have to be patient. We would have to re-equip ourselves with police and spies.

"The pilot of a bomber who fires missiles against a mountain in Afghanistan will achieve nothing.

"He will never destroy the mountain under which there is a cave in which hides the person responsible for the terrorist act," he declared.

The Egyptian president also used the interview to criticise British asylum policy for allowing radical Islamic refugees into the country.

Questioned about the Islamic terrorist networks believed to be operating in the UK, Mubarak said: "I warned (former Prime Minister) John Major but he did not listen.

"I repeated the same thing to the BBC when they asked me questions about people given asylum in Great Britain.

"I sent a message to Tony Blair recommending him to be careful. France took notice. But certain European capitals are becoming veritable terrorist production plants.

"Governments which have agreed to give them shelter should not cry when they become targets," he declared.