Re: Piecing together the story of the weapons that weren't
- From: alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Alan)
- Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 18:31 +0000 (GMT Standard Time)
In article <lnnhf.21288$2k6.15343@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, harinam108@xxxxxxxxx
(Acharya) wrote:
> Stupid people claim that what they cannot see does not exist
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/11/24/jazeera.protest/index.html
Jazeera fury over 'U.S. bomb' memo
CNN) -- Employees of the Arabic news network Al-Jazeera have been protesting
over a recent report by a British tabloid that the U.S. allegedly planned to
bomb the network's headquarters in Qatar -- a report vehemently denied by the
White House.
Men and women stood outside Al-Jazeera's Doha, Qatar offices on Thursday holding
signs in Arabic and in English, one reading "Don't bomb the messenger." Another
sign read "Hostage of Truth" over a photo of Sami al-Hajj, an Al-Jazeera
cameraman imprisoned at the U.S. military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Al-Hajj was detained in Afghanistan, and the network has been asking for his
release.
Employees staged similar protests at bureaus in Cairo, Beirut, and Ramallah,
with banners condemning U.S. President George Bush.
The protests are a reaction to London's Daily Mirror report on Tuesday that
offered details of a supposed secret memo that the tabloid said recounted
discussions between Prime Minister Tony Blair and Bush about bombing
Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar -- a U.S. ally.
The paper reported that Blair talked Bush out of launching the airstrike against
the network during an April 16, 2004, meeting at the White House. The White
House called the report "outlandish," but Al-Jazeera called on 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 have been hit by U.S. bombs in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The Baghdad
strike killed one journalist working for the network. If true, the Mirror report
"would cast serious doubts" on U.S. statements that the strikes were accidental,
the network said.
The network's employees are demanding investigations into the bombings and an
urgent meeting between Blair and the editors-in-chief of major media outlets in
London, including Al-Jazeera.
Britain has refused comment on the matter because two men face trial under
Britain's Official Secrets Act in connection with release of the memo.
On Wednesday, Britain's attorney general's office warned news organizations not
to publish details of the memo to insure the case against the two men proceeds
"without prejudice." (Full story)
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 tabloid 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."
Speaking from Doha, Al-Jazeera's Editor-in-Chief Ahmed al-Sheikh Thursday called
for an end to what he described as a "campaign against Al-Jazeera."
"If this alleged claim turns out to be true, then this is frightening,"
al-Sheikh told CNN. "It is time for them (the Bush administration) to re-think
their attitude towards us and we are ready to cooperate with them.
"This negative attitude towards us has to stop. You have to believe that if
indeed Bush planned to bomb Al-Jazeera, then this is a frightening proposition."
Al-Jazeera's Web site Thursday had a graphic on its main page with images of a
bald eagle, a U.S. flag and the Al-Jazeera logo partially covered by a target
with a dark background.
CNN Senior Arab Affairs Editor Octavia Nasr contributed to this report.
Alan
"Can't you see we're still here,
Can't you see we're still here,
Singing loud; Singing clear,
We shall not go under,
We're still here."
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