Media warned over Bomb Jazeera memo.

November 24, 2005

'Bomb Jazeera' memo: Media warned

Thursday, November 24, 2005 Posted: 0106 GMT (0906 HKT)

Al-Jazeera's newsroom in Doha, Qatar.

SPECIAL REPORT LONDON, England (CNN) -- The British government has warned

news organizations against publishing details of a secret memo which one London

tabloid newspaper said recounted discussions between Prime Minister Tony Blair

and President Bush about bombing the headquarters of the Arabic news network

Al-Jazeera.

The Daily Mirror reported Tuesday that Blair talked Bush out of launching an

air strike against Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar -- a U.S. ally -- during

an April 16, 2004 meeting at the White House.

The White House called the report " outlandish, " but Al-Jazeera urged the

British government to either confirm or deny the report.

The Arabic-language network has been a frequent target of U.S. criticism, and

its facilities in Afghanistan and Iraq have been hit by U.S. bombs.

If true, the Mirror report " would cast serious doubts " on U.S. statements that

those strikes were accidental, the network said.

Downing Street spokesman Ian Gleeson said Tuesday that Blair's office would

have no comment, because the memo the Daily Mirror cited was the subject of

court action.

Two men face trial under Britain's Official Secrets Act in connection with

release of the memo, and the attorney general's office warned news organizations

that the case against them should proceed " without prejudice. "

The Mirror reported that Bush was angered by Al-Jazeera's coverage of the

April 2004 uprising in the western Iraqi city of Falluja, where U.S. Marines

were dispatched to restore order after four American security guards had been

killed and mutilated by insurgents.

Blair talked him out of the idea of bombing the network's headquarters, the

newspaper reported.

A White House official told CNN, " We are not going to dignify something so

outlandish with a response. " And a Pentagon official called the Daily Mirror

report " absolutely absurd. "

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