We are not expelling the journalists but they are free to leave whenever they want

President Charles Taylor

They had official permission to work in Liberia, and their arrest sparked angry protests from the international community and press freedom groups.

Liberia accused the men of filming in no-go areas, seeking to damage the country's image and falsely linking President Charles Taylor to diamond smuggling.

But Mr Taylor said on Friday they were free to leave the country after they had apologised to the nation.

The journalists are:

• David Barrie (UK)
• Timothy Lambon (UK)
• Gugulakhe Radebe (South Africa)
• Sorious Samoura (Sierra Leone).

If convicted, the men would have faced up to 10 years in jail or the death penalty.

Apology

In a short handwritten letter to President Taylor, the journalists apologised "to both his excellency the president of Liberia and the people of Liberia for any offence which our action or statements have caused".

President Taylor told the BBC that the four journalists were not being expelled and that they - or any other journalists - were free to do "factual work" in Liberia.

He said the Channel Four crew had come to Liberia with a ready-written script, in which they were only going to fill in the blanks.

He called it "a clear case of libel".

Liberian Justice Minister Eddington Varmah said the authorities had agreed to drop the charges on "humanitarian grounds" and because of any lack of evidence.

Isolation

The UK Government had warned President Taylor that he was risking international isolation over the issue.

President Taylor: Journalists are being expelled

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook described the men's release as "very good news" and thanked those who had supported the campaign to free them.

Among them were the former South African president Nelson Mandela, Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo, US president Bill Clinton's envoy to Africa Jesse Jackson and the Sierra Leonean Ambassador to Liberia.

Liberian-born football star George Weah, of Manchester City, had also been poised to meet Mr Taylor to plead the men's case.

Channel 4's programme director Tim Gardam told the BBC that the crew were working on a three-part series on how an African country can "climb out of the cycle of civil violence".

"The film was discussed in detail with the Liberian authorities before we went. We had already interviewed the minister of defence," he said.

In recent weeks, Liberia has repeatedly denounced what it says are international plots against Mr Taylor.

Both Washington and London accuse Liberia of involvement in sales of diamonds mined by Sierra Leonean rebels.

Mr Taylor, a former warlord in Liberia's civil war, has long had links with the rebels.