UK's Brown apologises to soldier's mother over letter

* Brown apologises after public row over condolence letter

* Newspaper publishes transcript of call



By Stefano Ambrogi

LONDON, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Gordon Brown has apologised to the mother of a British solider killed in Afghanistan after she complained publicly that the condolence note he sent her was hard to read and full of spelling errors.

In a regular news conference on Tuesday, Brown expressed his regret for any distress caused to the mother of 20-year-old Jamie Janes, and blamed his poor handwriting.

"I apologised to Jacqui Janes yesterday for any mistakes that had been made," he said.

"The last thing on my mind was to cause any offence to (her) and I think people know me well enough to know that it would never be my intention ... to cause any grief to a grieving mother.

Janes had called the handwritten note, which appeared to mis-spell her son's surname, a "hastily scrawled insult."

"I understand very well the sadness that she feels, and the way that she has expressed her grief is something that I can also clearly understand," added Brown, who lost a daughter in 2001 after a premature birth.

The Sun newspaper, which has been critical of Brown and his handling of the war in Afghanistan, on Tuesday published the transcript of the phone call the prime minister made to Janes, which she apparently taped.

In the call, Janes confronted Brown and said British troops lacked proper military equipment.

A rising death toll has led to growing public opposition to Britain's involvement in the international coalition fighting the Taliban, a further headache for Brown ahead of an election due by next June which the opposition is expected to win.

Brown writes personally to the families of soldiers killed in conflict. He is blind in one eye as a result of a rugby injury suffered as a teenager and his handwriting is messy.

Downing Street said Brown was unaware his conversation was being recorded, but the Information Commissioner's Office said the taping was not illegal because it was done by an individual rather than a private company.

At the press conference, Brown reiterated that the mission in Afghanistan was vital to Britain's security and that there was a "plan to move things forward."

Two more British soldiers were killed in Afghanistan at the weekend, bringing the number of British deaths since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 to 232. (Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)