Bahraini officials have urged people not to burn the American flag during protests.

It said this harmed the Gulf state's interests and its relations with the United States.

The call came after a Pro-Palestinian demonstration on Friday during which protesters trampled and burned US and Israeli flags.

It was the latest in a series of violent protests against Israel and the US.

Bahrain is a key non-Nato US ally and houses the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth fleet, which would be used in any war against Iraq.

Calls to expel the fleet are often heard at protests in Bahrain, correspondents say.

In March, Bahrainis staged demonstrations against Israel and its supporters after Israeli forces launched a big military operation in the West Bank.

On 5 April, a man died and more than 100 people were injured during a demonstration during which stones and petrol bombs were lobbed at the US embassy in the capital, Manama.

Offensive

Several thousand people took part in Friday's demonstration during which protesters chanted "Death to America" and "Down, Down USA".

"Although the kingdom of Bahrain supports the Palestinian cause, and respects the feelings of the people who participated in this rally, we see that burning a flag of a friendly country like the US... harms such relations and offends the people of that country", an unidentified Bahraini Foreign Ministry official said.

The US has been reinforcing troops in the Gulf region for a possible attack on Iraq, although most of its allies in the region publicly oppose such a military confrontation.

Correspondents say Gulf governments are seen as quietly backing - or having little power to stop - a US war on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.