Oslo  - A former Norwegian cabinet member stopped a recommendation to give Israeli nuclear whistle-blower Mordechai Vanunu political asylum in 2004, news reports said Wednesday.

Vanunu served an 18-year sentence for leaking details of Israel's nuclear programme to the Sunday Times of London in 1986.

Since his 2004 release his movements in Israel have been severely restricted and Vanunu is banned from travelling abroad or talking to the media and foreign nationals without prior approval by security authorities.

Last year he was sentenced to a six-month term for violating the ban.

In the autumn of 2004 he applied for asylum in Norway.

While the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) recommended approving the asylum application, the then minister in charge of asylum and refugee matters Erna Solberg turned down the application, Bergens Tidende newspaper reported.

"We discussed the matter in the cabinet," Solberg, leader of the opposition conservatives, was quoted as telling the newspaper.

"We concluded that collecting Vanunu from Israel would have been an active action against Israel. That would have disturbed the foreign policy processes in the Middle East we were engaged in," Solberg said.

Vanunu, who has been nominated several times for the Nobel Peace Prize, was quoted as telling Norwegian news agency NTB Wednesday that he was prepared to file a new application.

"I hope my application is still valid," Vanunu said, adding he wanted an apology from Norwegian authorities.

Vanunu said he was in good health but lived on handouts from friends and supporters, adding he did not regret his actions back in 1986, NTB said. (dpa)