Saudi Arabia has lifted a ban on books written by its ailing labour minister whose liberal tone provoked both the official clerical establishment and Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.

Ghazi Algosaibi, 70, is a former ambassador to London and a confidant of King Abdullah.

Algosaibi, who is undergoing medical treatment abroad, has occupied government and diplomatic positions and played a key role in the setting up of state-controlled Saudi Basic Industries Corp, the kingdom's largest listed company.   

Bin Laden singled out Algosaibi in a taped message from his hideout in 2006 as a liberal fifth columnist.

Novelists publishing inside Saudi Arabia usually submit their work to the ministry of information in advance. -Reuters