[JURIST] A spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Friday that US President George W. Bush has offered Blair a brief apology for apparent US failure to follow proper UK aviation safety procedures in a recent transshipment of American "smart bombs" to Israel via Prestwick International Airport [corporate website] in Glasgow, Scotland. The apology came in talks between the two men in Washington. The spokesman said "It was just one line. As part of the introduction, the president said sorry there was a problem. It was a gracious thing to do." BBC News has more

On Wednesday, UK Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett [official profile] said that a formal complaint would be made to the US [JURIST report] if it was confirmed that any rules were broken. An American Defense Department spokesman asked about the incident insisted Thursday that all protocols had been properly followed by the US and that the flights "comply with existing bilateral agreements" with the UK.