Report: Bush Talked of Bombing Al-Jazeera

[moghrabi]

Report: Bush Talked of Bombing Al-Jazeera

By ROBERT BARR, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 34 minutes ago

A civil servant has been charged under Britain's Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking a government memo that a newspaper said Tuesday suggested that Prime Minister Tony Blair persuaded President Bush not to bomb the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera.

The Daily Mirror reported that Bush spoke of targeting Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha, Qatar, when he met Blair at the White House on April 16, 2004. The Bush administration has regularly accused Al-Jazeera of being nothing more than a mouthpiece for anti-American sentiments.

The Daily Mirror attributed its information to unidentified sources. One source, said to be in the government, was quoted as saying that the alleged threat was "humorous, not serious," but the newspaper quoted another source as saying that "Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair."

Blair's office declined to comment on the report, stressing it never discusses leaked documents.

In Qatar, Al-Jazeera said it was aware of the report, but did not wish to comment.

The White House said it wouldn't dignify what it called "something so outlandish" with a response.

The document was described as a transcript of a conversation between the two leaders.

Cabinet Office civil servant David Keogh is accused of passing it to Leo O'Connor, who formerly worked for former British lawmaker Tony Clarke. Both Keogh and O'Connor are scheduled to appear at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court next week.

According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Keogh was charged with an offense under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act relating to "a damaging disclosure" by a servant of the Crown of information relating to international relations or information obtained from a state other than the United Kingdom.

O'Connor was charged under Section 5, which relates to receiving and disclosing illegally disclosed information.

According to the newspaper, Clarke returned the memo to Blair's office. Clarke did not respond to calls from The Associated Press seeking comment.

Press Association, the British news agency, said Clarke refused to discuss the contents of the document. PA quoted Clarke as saying his priority was to support O'Connor who did "exactly the right thing" in bringing it to his attention.

Peter Kilfoyle, a former defense minister in Blair's government, called for the document to be made public.

"I think they ought to clarify what exactly happened on this occasion," he said. "If it was the case that President Bush wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera in what is after all a friendly country, it speaks volumes and it raises questions about subsequent attacks that took place on the press that wasn't embedded with coalition forces," the newspaper quoted Kilfoyle as saying.

Sir Menzies Campbell, foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Liberal Democrats, said Tuesday that, if true, the memo was worrying.

"If true, then this underlines the desperation of the Bush administration as events in Iraq began to spiral out of control," he said. "On this occasion, the prime minister may have been successful in averting political disaster, but it shows how dangerous his relationship with President Bush has been."

Al-Jazeera offices in Iraq and Afghanistan have been hit by U.S. bombs or missiles, but each time the U.S. military said they were not intentionally targeting the broadcaster.

In April 2003, an Al-Jazeera journalist was killed when its Baghdad office was struck during a U.S. bombing campaign. Nabil Khoury, a State Department spokesman in Doha, said the strike was a mistake.

In November 2002, Al-Jazeera's office in Kabul, Afghanistan, was destroyed by a U.S. missile. None of the crew was at the office at the time. U.S. officials said they believed the target was a terrorist site and did not know it was Al-Jazeera's office.

http://tinyurl.com/8ftyg

 

[moghrabi]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

Isn't that what is known as "International Dictatorship"?

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

It's what's known as a war crime. The US bombed AJ in Afghanistan (where they shared an office with the BBC) and Iraq (even though AJ made sure that the US had their GPS coordinates).

 

[moghrabi]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

But this is more serious Rev. Bush wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera office in Doha, Dubai.

 

[jimmoyer]

You know this has got to be the dumbest thing America could do, assuming it is true that this idea was more than just the typical plans every military draws up if called to do so.

We should leave al Jazeera alone. It means THE ISLAND.

And truly it is.

For little do many conservatives realize but this broadcast station has infuriated much of the Arab world by its championing of women's rights and arguing for more rights to the citizens to determine their government, and yes they are a conduit for the head choppings and the propaganda of bullies and clowns, but this is an organic thing that eventually psychologically will morph itself into more liberal values, rights, democracy, debate about values.

al Jazeera, the ISLAND, is more complex than most westerners imagine.

 

[Reverend Blair]

But this is more serious Rev. Bush wanted to bomb Al-Jazeera office in Doha, Dubai.

I realise that, Mog. It is also much more important because it points to the other two bombing not being accidental, as the US has continually claimed. If the US purposely bombed a civilian press agency, whether in Dubai, Afghanistan, or Iraq, they have committed a war crime.

For them to have considered bombing a press agency in a country they consider friendly shows the other bombings to be much more likely to be crimes. That it was Bush considering it ties those crimes right to the top.

 

[Ocean Breeze]

*** BREAKING NEWS ***

US BOMBED AL-JAZEERA BUT GOVERNMENT HAS BANNED PRESS FROM REPORTING THE
STORY

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT HAS BANNED FROM REPORTING THIS STORY, BUT
FORTUNATELY DETAILS OF THIS UNLAWFUL ACT OF CENSORSHIP WILL BE REVEALED ON
THE FRONT PAGE OF AT LEAST TWO NEWSPAPERS TOMORROW MORNING:-

US regime bombed Al-Jazeera offices in Iraq, Afghanistan and Qatar
http://www.theinsider.org/news/article.asp?id=1721

Oh oh..!! :twisted:

 

[Ocean Breeze]

another source carries a similar story to the first one on this thread.

Bush Plot to Bomb his Arab Allay
Madness of war memo
by Kevin Maguire and Andy Lines

President Bush planned to bomb Arab TV station al-Jazeera in friendly Qatar, a "Top Secret" No 10 memo reveals.


US President George W. Bush planned to bomb pan-Arab television broadcaster al-Jazeera, British newspaper the Daily Mirror said, citing a Downing Street memo marked 'Top Secret'. Picture shows staff working in al-Jazeera's newsroom in Doha(AFP/File/Rabih Moghrabi)

But he was talked out of it at a White House summit by Tony Blair, who said it would provoke a worldwide backlash.

A source said: "There's no doubt what Bush wanted, and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it." Al-Jazeera is accused by the US of fuelling the Iraqi insurgency.

The attack would have led to a massacre of innocents on the territory of a key ally, enraged the Middle East and almost certainly have sparked bloody retaliation.

A source said last night: "The memo is explosive and hugely damaging to Bush.

"He made clear he wanted to bomb al-Jazeera in Qatar and elsewhere. Blair replied that would cause a big problem.

"There's no doubt what Bush wanted to do - and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it."

A Government official suggested that the Bush threat had been "humorous, not serious".

But another source declared: "Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair. That much is absolutely clear from the language used by both men."

Yesterday former Labour Defence Minister Peter Kilfoyle challenged Downing Street to publish the five-page transcript of the two leaders' conversation. He said: "It's frightening to think that such a powerful man as Bush can propose such cavalier actions

"I hope the Prime Minister insists this memo be published. It gives an insight into the mindset of those who were the architects of war."

Bush disclosed his plan to target al-Jazeera, a civilian station with a huge Mid-East following, at a White House face-to-face with Mr Blair on April 16 last year

At the time, the US was launching an all-out assault on insurgents in the Iraqi town of Fallujah

Al-Jazeera infuriated Washington and London by reporting from behind rebel lines and broadcasting pictures of dead soldiers, private contractors and Iraqi victims.

The station, watched by millions, has also been used by bin Laden and al-Qaeda to broadcast atrocities and to threaten the West

Al-Jazeera's HQ is in the business district of Qatar's capital, Doha.

Its single-storey buildings would have made an easy target for bombers. As it is sited away from residential areas, and more than 10 miles from the US's desert base in Qatar, there would have been no danger of "collateral damage"

Dozens of al-Jazeera staff at the HQ are not, as many believe, Islamic fanatics. Instead, most are respected and highly trained technicians and journalists.

To have wiped them out would have been equivalent to bombing the BBC in London and the most spectacular foreign policy disaster since the Iraq War itself

The No 10 memo now raises fresh doubts over US claims that previous attacks against al-Jazeera staff were military errors.

In 2001 the station's Kabul office was knocked out by two "smart" bombs. In 2003, al-Jazeera reporter Tareq Ayyoub was killed in a US missile strike on the station's Baghdad centre.

The memo, which also included details of troop deployments, turned up in May last year at the Northampton constituency office of then Labour MP Tony Clarke

Cabinet Office civil servant David Keogh, 49, is accused under the Official Secrets Act of passing it to Leo O'Connor, 42, who used to work for Mr Clarke. Both are bailed to appear at Bow Street court next week

Mr Clarke, who lost at the election, returned the memo to No 10

He said Mr O'Connor had behaved "perfectly correctly"

Neither Mr O'Connor or Mr Keogh were available. No 10 did not comment.

AL-JAZEERA'S INSIDE STORY

not sure what the current status is......but very sure "we" will not be getting truth or valid info from the bush regime or US media.

How did things fall THIS low??

 

[moghrabi]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

So what happens if someone goes and bomb FOX news?

 

[Jay]

There are former British interests in Al-Jazeera, if I'm not mistaken.

 

[Reverend Blair]

So what happens if someone goes and bomb FOX news?

Bill O'reilly will go and write another bad sex novel, then claim to win more awards that he had nothing to do with.

 

[moghrabi]

So what happens if someone goes and bomb FOX news?

Bill O'reilly will go and write another bad sex novel, then claim to win more awards that he had nothing to do with.

Oh. I was thinking O'reilly will go all right. But go up in smoke.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

Nah...he's one of those guys that just won't disappear.

 

[moghrabi]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

Pain in the arse, you mean.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

That's a little more politely than I tend to put it, but you've got the idea.

That's the thing with all of these people...they've been around for a very long time, but have just sprung to prominence on the coattails of the Bush regime. They won't just disappear no matter what happens, they'll hang around telling lies and causing problems until they die of old age.

 

[no1important]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

Syrias leader, Saudia royal family, Kuwaitt royal family, Jordon royal family etc all have been trying to get rid of AJ for some time as Al Jeezera are a thorn in their sides as well.

 

[Reverend Blair]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

Aj has been in trouble with every government in the Middle East at one time or another.

 

[no1important]

RE: Report: Bush Talked o

I just brought it up incase the conservatives tried to point them out as "anti american" and "pro arab" which they are not. They go after everyone equally.

Of late they are more fair and balanced than CNN and faux. I guess freedom of the press in America is gone.........

 

[Reverend Blair]

I guess freedom of the press in America is gone.........

I'm starting to think that the press in America is gone.

 

[moghrabi]

I guess freedom of the press in America is gone.........

I'm starting to think that the press in America is gone.

I am starting to believe that the press in America is gone.