Tonight BBC's Newsnight [mp3 download 1MB] reported that al-Jazeera have filed a new Freedom of Information Request with the UK government about Bush and Blair's conversation about bombing al-Jazeera."Thank you for your email of 24 November in which you request a copy of any memos or notes that record President Bush's discussions with the Prime Minister about the bombing of the al-Jazeera television station in Qatar. Your request has been handled under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.It is gratifying to find out Newsnight confirming our argument [almost verbatim], but also it confirms how sorely lacking the rest of the mainstream media have been in their coverage of developments in this story. See also the lack of national media coverage of Peter Kilfoyle's disclosures of last week.
"I can confirm that the cabinet Office holds information which is relevant to your request."
Tim Whewell's analysis that the government is coming under repeated and sustained pressure to release the document under three fronts, parliamentary efforts, the Keogh and O'Connor Trial and the FOIA requests is reassuring. As time goes on, it is looking less and less likely that the memo will stay hidden. more...
Here's al-Jazeera's take on the situation today:
The British government has denied allegations that a memo of a conversation between the British prime minister and the US president included the suggestion of bombing Aljazeera. The denial came on Tuesday even as the British government turned down a request from Aljazeera for access to the memo containing the reported communication between Tony Blair and George Bush.
Blair's spokesman said: "We will reply properly in terms of any request to us, but it is not the practice and will not be the practice to release conversations between the prime minister and other world leaders. But what we can confirm is that the memo does not refer to bombing the Aljazeera station in Qatar, despite the various allegations," he said. "I am not aware of any suggestion of bombing any Aljazeera station."
[...]
Peter Kilfoyle, a member of the British parliament, said last week he had been briefed on the memo by former MP Tony Clarke who had seen it, saying it had included a discussion of bombing Aljazeera.
al-Jazeera | UK denies Aljazeera bombing plot
