British bishop Richard Williamson found himself back in the centre of controversy Friday despite a statement he issued expressing an apology over his Holocaust statements, with the Vatican calling it inadequate and Germany speaking about seeking his extradition.

Williamson, now residing at an undisclosed location in Britain after his expulsion from Argentina on Wednesday, had published a statement on the website of the British arm of the ultra-conservative Society of Saint Pius X expressing "regrets" about the "harm and hurt" which his Holocaust denial remarks had caused.

In the apology, Williamson said the Holy Father had requested that he reconsider the remarks made on Swedish television four months ago, "because their consequences have been so heavy."

"Observing these consequences I can truthfully say that I regret having made such remarks, and that if I had known beforehand the full harm and hurt to which they would give rise, especially to the Church, but also to survivors and relatives of victims of injustice under the Third Reich, I would not have made them."

His statement also said that "the events of recent weeks and the advice of senior members of the Society of St. Pius X have persuaded me of my responsibility for much distress caused. To all souls that took honest scandal from what I said before God I apologize."

The remarks he was referring to were the Swedish television interview comments in which Williamson, 68, had challenged the figure of 6 million Jews killed in the Holocaust and said he believed that the figure was "up to 300,000" Jews killed, and that "I believe there were no gas chambers during World War II."

But as with the original remarks, his new statement published Friday only served to raise further controversy.

In an initial reaction from Rome, the Vatican dismissed the new statement as falling short of what Pope Benedict XVI had demanded of Williamson over his remarks. Holy See chief spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the apology "does not seem to respect the terms" set by the Vatican.

Lombardi described the statement as "generic and equivocal," contrasting it to a request made by the Vatican to Williamson that he "clearly and publicly distance himself" from his remarks on the Holocaust.

Lombardi also denied media reports that the apology was contained in a letter sent by Williamson to Pope Benedict XVI and to the Vatican's Ecclesia Dei commission which handles relations with the ultra-traditionalist Society of Saint Pius X.

In Brussels, German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries told journalists that Berlin could demand Williamson's extradition to face court proceedings for Holocaust denial.

"In principle, the offence falls under the rules of the European Arrest Warrant. That means that Germany could indeed issue such a warrant," Zypries commented after a meeting with her EU counterparts.

This was because an interview in which Williamson questioned the scale of the Holocaust, broadcast in Sweden, was recorded in Germany, giving the German courts jurisdiction, she said. The bishop is already under investigation in Germany for his comments.

Holocaust denial is a crime in Germany. It is not a specific crime in Britain, where laws limiting hate speech focus rather on instigation to hatred or violence.

In Berlin, the President of Germany's Central Council of Jews, Charlotte Knobloch said she was "appalled" at Williamson's latest remarks.

"Through the absence of a clear retraction of his malignant lies, Williamson has again expressed that he is a convinced antisemite and incorrigible Holocaust denier, who doubts the murder of six million Jews," Knobloch said in a press statement.

The council's general secretary Stephan Kramer told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Williamson's apology was "completely irrelevant."

"He is sorry about the pain, but has taken back nothing of substance. For this reason we can't talk about an apology."

"I believe the apology is a diversion tactic to get rid of the pressure and the limelight," allowing the brotherhood to continue preaching their "antidemocratic, unconstitutional, mysogynist, antisemitic" values, Kramer told dpa. (dpa)