US president George W Bush wanted to bomb the al-Jazeera television station in Qatar against the wishes of British prime minister Tony Blair, according to a leaked British government memo.
Britain has warned media organisations they are breaking the law if they publish details of a leaked document said to show US President George W Bush wanted to bomb Arabic television station al-Jazeera.
The government's top lawyer warned editors in a note after the Daily Mirrornewspaper reported yesterday that a secret British government memo said Prime Minister Tony Blair had talked Mr Bush out of bombing the broadcaster in April last year.
Several British newspapers reported the attorney general's note today and repeated the Mirror's allegations, which the White House said were "so outlandish" they did not merit a response. Mr Blair's office declined to comment.
Al-Jazeera, which has repeatedly denied US accusations it sides with insurgents in Iraq, called on Britain and the United States to state quickly whether the report was accurate.
"If the report is correct then this would be both shocking and worrisome not only to al-Jazeera but to media organizations across the world," the Qatar-based station said in a statement.
The story would also be a shock for Qatar, a small Gulf state which cultivates good relations with Washington.
The Mirrorsaid the memo came from Mr Blair's Downing Street office and turned up in May last year at the local office of Tony Clarke, then a member of parliament for the town of Northampton. Mr Clarke handed the document back to the government.
Leo O'Connor, who used to work for Mr Clarke, and civil servant David Keogh were charged last Thursday under Britain's Official Secrets Act with making a "damaging disclosure of a document relating to international relations".