UK papers blocked from revealing Bush - Blair conversation on Al-Jazeera bombing

Working staff in al-Jazeera TV today are observing a symbolic sit in in the headquarters of the channel, with calls for opening an investigation over the bombardment of al-Jazeera offices in Kabul and in Baghdad and the bombardment of Palestine hotel in Baghdad.

This comes following a news report by the Daily Mirror alleging that US President George W. Bush uttered words in a "serious" (non joking) tone in past conversation with UK Prime Minster Tony Blair about bombing the offices of the al-Jazeera Arabic reporting Satellite TV company.

Today, The Guardian Unlimited website reported that the British government is preventing the media from further reporting on the exact content of the leaked government reports "because of political embarrassment caused by a sensitive leak of face-to-face exchanges between the prime minister and the US president in the White House in April 2004. He acted after the Daily Mirror said a memo recorded a threat by Mr Bush to take "military action" against the Arabic TV station al-Jazeera. Mr Blair replied that that would cause a big problem, reported the Mirror. David Keogh, a former Cabinet Office official, has been charged under the secrets act with sending the memo on the Blair-Bush conversation to Leo O 'Connor, researcher to the former Labour MP Tony Clarke. Mr Keogh and Mr O'Connor will appear before Bow Street magistrates next week."

The Guardian Unlimited report said "The meeting between Mr Bush and Mr Blair took place at a time when Whitehall officials, intelligence officers, and British military commanders were expressing outrage at the scale of the US assault on the Iraqi city of Falluja, in which up to 1,000 civilians are feared to have died. Pictures of the attack shown on al-Jazeera had infuriated US generals. The government was also arguing with Washington about the number of extra British troops to be sent to Iraq at a time when it was feared they would be endangered by what a separately leaked Foreign Office memo called 'heavy-handed' US military tactics. There were UK anxieties that US bombing in civilian areas in Falluja would unite Sunnis and Shias against British forces. The criticism came not only from anti-war MPs, but from Mr Blair's most senior military, diplomatic, and intelligence advisers. When Mr Blair met Mr Bush in Washington, military advisers were urging the prime minister to send extra forces only on British terms. General Sir Mike Jackson, the head of the army, said while British troops had to fight with the Americans, "that does not mean we must be able to fight as the Americans'."

The former British defense officer Peter Cliffwill, who opposed the war on Iraq, called on Blair to explain the situation to the legislators, if it is proved there are recordings over the talks in this issue between him and Bush.

Cliffwill indicated that the hotel used by al-Jazeera TV in Baghdad was attacked, noting that the USA attacked Serbia TV during the war against Kosovo.

The White House described the content of the document as irresponsible. Its spokesman said it is beyond reason to believe that the President of the United States, which advocated the freedom of the press, would think of carrying out such an act.