The White House has said the allegation that Bush wanted
to bomb al Jazeera is "so outlandish" it does not merit a
response.
If that's so, then why this?...
Britain, which is prosecuting a civil servant and a
parliamentarian's aide for leaking the secret memo,
refuses to comment on its contents.
rkm
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http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/112605C.shtml
Go to Original
Al Jazeera Wants US Bomb Memo Answers
By Reuters
Friday 25 November 2005
London - Arabic news channel Al Jazeera's general manager
flew to London on Friday to demand the British government
explain a leaked report that President George W. Bush
wanted to bomb the TV station.
The Daily Mirror newspaper reported on Tuesday that a
secret British government memo said British Prime Minister
Tony Blair had talked Bush out of bombing Al Jazeera's
headquarters in Qatar in April last year.
"I have come to London in order to reach out to British
officials, to investigate about the memo that some claim
exists during the past week," Al Jazeera managing director
Waddah Khanfar told Reuters by telephone after his arrival
in London.
"It is a matter of deep concern for all of us in al
Jazeera, and the Arab world and the media."
He said a delegation from the channel would deliver a
letter to Blair on Saturday asking for an interview.
The White House has said the allegation that Bush wanted
to bomb al Jazeera is "so outlandish" it does not merit a
response.
Britain, which is prosecuting a civil servant and a
parliamentarian's aide for leaking the secret memo,
refuses to comment on its contents.
The Daily Mirror quoted one unnamed government official
saying Bush's comments may have been a joke, but another
unidentified source saying the president appeared to be
serious.
Britain's attorney general has warned other media that
they can be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act if
they reveal anything else about the memo.
"It is of very deep concern not only to Al Jazeera
journalists, but to people who trust Al Jazeera as the
most credible source of information in the Arab world,"
Khanfar said.
"People should know the facts about it. It is not a matter
that can be brushed away or dealt with in very vague
statements."
Blair's spokesman said the prime minister's office had not
yet received a formal request from Al Jazeera for an
interview, but the British government would be willing to
talk to Al Jazeera as it would to any other news
organization.
"This is the first I suspect that Downing Street has heard
of this request. It is somewhat short notice," he said.
"We are quite happy to talk to Al Jazeera just as we are
quite happy to talk to other broadcasters and media
operations. In terms of who talks to them I think that
depends on who is available and how much time he will give
us to set up meetings."
Al Jazeera has repeatedly denied US accusations it sides
with insurgents in Iraq. Khanfar said it was time the
United States stopped accusing it of supporting terrorism.
"We demand to know the facts about this document and we
demand a (cessation) of all kinds of accusations from the
American administration."
Asked if he thought it was true that Bush wanted to bomb
the station, Khanfar said:
"We are going to suspend any judgment until we find out if
that document is correct or not. But I can say we were
attacked twice, once in Kabul and once in Baghdad, and two
of our colleagues were killed."
In 2001, the station's Kabul office was hit by US bombs
and in 2003 Al Jazeera reporter Tareq Ayyoub was killed in
a US strike on its Baghdad office. The United States has
denied deliberately targeting the station.
The Daily Mirror said Bush told Blair at a White House
summit on April 16, 2004 that he wanted to target Al
Jazeera.
--
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