Head of newsgathering at BBC News, Adrian Van-Klaveren says, "Al-Jazeera has established itself as a major international broadcaster. By working alongside them in our Newsgathering activities, we will be able to provide an even more comprehensive service to the BBC's audiences both in the UK and around the world."

The agreement includes co-operation on the ground in terms of sharing facilities, which could mean the BBC using Al-Jazeera's uplink in Kabul.

Deputy Head of Rights at BBC News Madhav Chinnappa says, "This is a bilateral deal which has formalised arrangements between the BBC and Al-Jazeera. We have a number of similar agreements around the world including ABC in the US and NHK in Japan."

He added that discussions were under way about possible provision of documentaries via BBC Worldwide, online advice for Al-Jazeera's English language website, which is due to launch in February, and advice on training and safety.

Al-Jazeera, which means The Peninsula, was launched in 1996 and is the most popular news station in the Middle East.