Sana'a, Yemen - Yemen will receive Osama bin Laden's former driver Salim Hamdan from the US military prison in Guantanamo on the island of Cuba, the Arab country's Defence Ministry said on Tuesday.

"US authorities will hand over the Yemeni citizen Salim Hamdan to Yemen," the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.

The statement said the extradition would be carried out "within the next few days," without elaborating.

Washington  - The former driver for Osama bin Laden pleaded not guilty to terrorism-related charges on Monday as the first trial under US President George W Bush's controversial military commissions got under way in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Salim Hamdan, a Yemeni national, has been charged with conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted.

Hamdan is alleged to have served as bin Laden's driver and bodyguard before his capture in 2001 and transfer to the US detention centre at the naval station in Cuba the following year.

London, July 21 : A former driver of al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden has pleaded not guilty to charges at the first war crimes trial to be held at the Guantanamo Bay prison facility run by the United States.

Yemeni national Salim Hamdan, 37, has been accused of conspiracy and supporting terrorism, and faces life in prison if he is convicted. Hamdan has been in custody for nearly six years

About 270 suspects still remain in detention in Guantanamo Bay.