Blair 'knew nothing' of Al Jazeera raid plan

LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday denied receiving details of a reported United States proposal to bomb the Arabic news channel Al Jazeera.

The Daily Mirror newspaper reported last week that a secret British Government memo said Blair had talked US President George W. Bush out of bombing the broadcaster's Qatar headquarters last April.

The White House dismissed the report as "outlandish", and Blair's office has so far refused to comment.

Blair was asked in a written question to Parliament made public yesterday what information he received "on action that the United States Administration proposed to take against the Al Jazeera television channel?"

In a written response, Blair gave the one-word answer: "None".

A spokeswoman for Blair made no further comment on the Prime Minister's response.

The Daily Mirror quoted an unnamed Government official as suggesting Bush's threat was a joke, but added that another unidentified source said the US President was serious.

Al Jazeera's director-general, Waddah Khanfar, who flew to London last week to seek an explanation about the memo, said he did not know what to believe, but Al Jazeera would not abandon the story until it received an answer. "I want not to believe it," he said.

Last week, staff at Al Jazeera held a protest against the Bush memo at its headquarters in Doha, and called for an investigation.

Britain's Attorney-General has warned other media organisations that they can be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act if they reveal further details of the memo.

Britain is prosecuting a civil servant and a parliamentarian's aide for leaking it.

- REUTERS