A British civil servant and a former researcher appeared in court on Tuesday in the latest skirmish of an unfolding legal battle over claims that US President George W. Bush proposed bombing al-Jazeera's television headquarters.
Bush's reported remarks were disclosed in a leaked document, the contents of which were published in a British newspaper late last year. The comments raised questions here about whether Britain might be drawn into questionable military operations as a result of its alliance with Washington.
Indeed, in an interview published on Tuesday, General Michael Rose, a former commander of UN troops in Bosnia, called for the impeachment of British Prime Minister Tony Blair for taking the country to war on false pretenses.
The remarks were unusually blunt for a commander of such rank.
"People have seen their political wishes ignored for reasons now proved false," Rose told the Guardian, referring to Blair's prewar insistence on the presence of unconventional weapons in Iraq.
He added: "No one can undo the decision to go to war. But the impeachment of Mr. Blair is now something I believe must happen if we are to rekindle interest in the democratic process."
In the latest legal maneuvers, David Keogh, 49, a government communications officer, and Leo O'Connor, 42, a former parliamentary researcher, face charges under the Official Secrets Act. They were indicted last November.
Keogh is accused on two counts. One is that he passed a memo to O'Connor between April 16 and May 29, 2004. The second, made public on Tuesday, is that he, "without lawful authority, made a damaging disclosure of a document dated April 16, 2004, which had been in his possession by virtue of his position as a crown servant."
O'Connor has indicated that he plans to plead not guilty. Keogh did not say how he would plead in the trial, scheduled for Jan. 24.
The document was described last fall by the Daily Mirror as a transcript of a conversation in the White House on April 16, 2004, in which Blair dissuaded Bush from bombing al-Jazeera's headquarters in Qatar, in the Persian Gulf.
At that time, US generals were complaining publicly that al-Jazeera's coverage of Iraq on its Arabic-language channel was inflaming anti-American sentiment.
Neil Clark, a lawyer for O'Connor, said he was shown the memo for the first time on Tuesday on condition that he discuss it only with his client. But, Clark said, he would seek the disclosure of the document in court.
"I didn't think there was anything in there that could embarrass the British government," he said.
The court hearings came as Peter Kilfoyle, a legislator from Blair's Labor Party, said he and another lawmaker, Tony Clarke, who employed O'Connor as a researcher, had tried to publicize the document in the US in 2004.
The pledge by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to “work, work, work, work and work” for her country has been named the catchphrase of the year, recognizing the effort Japan’s first female leader had to make to reach the top. Takaichi uttered the phrase in October when she was elected as head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). Many were initially as worried about her work ethic as supportive of her enthusiasm. In a country notorious for long working hours, especially for working women who are also burdened with homemaking and caregiving, overwork is a sensitive topic. The recognition triggered a
A plan by Switzerland’s right-wing People’s Party to cap the population at 10 million has the backing of almost half the country, according to a poll before an expected vote next year. The party, which has long campaigned against immigration, argues that too-fast population growth is overwhelming housing, transport and public services. The level of support comes despite the government urging voters to reject it, warning that strict curbs would damage the economy and prosperity, as Swiss companies depend on foreign workers. The poll by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten and released yesterday showed that 48 percent of the population plan to vote
‘HEART IS ACHING’: Lee appeared to baffle many when he said he had never heard of six South Koreans being held in North Korea, drawing criticism from the families South Korean President Lee Jae-myung yesterday said he was weighing a possible apology to North Korea over suspicions that his ousted conservative predecessor intentionally sought to raise military tensions between the war-divided rivals in the buildup to his brief martial law declaration in December last year. Speaking to reporters on the first anniversary of imprisoned former South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol’s ill-fated power grab, Lee — a liberal who won a snap presidential election following Yoon’s removal from office in April — stressed his desire to repair ties with Pyongyang. A special prosecutor last month indicted Yoon and two of his top
A powerful magnitude 7.6 earthquake shook Japan’s northeast region late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for residents to evacuate. A tsunami as high as three metres (10 feet) could hit Japan’s northeastern coast after an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of 7.6 occurred offshore at 11:15 p.m. (1415 GMT), the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) said. Tsunami warnings were issued for the prefectures of Hokkaido, Aomori and Iwate, and a tsunami of 40cm had been observed at Aomori’s Mutsu Ogawara and Hokkaido’s Urakawa ports before midnight, JMA said. The epicentre of the quake was 80 km (50 miles) off the coast of
RSS