According to press reports, over the course of an April 16, 2004 meeting, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair convinced Dubya not to bomb the headquarters of al-Jazeera -- the Arab satellite TV network -- in Doha, Qatar.
An excerpt from the AP story on globeandmail.com:
A British civil servant has been charged under the Official Secrets Act for allegedly leaking a government memo that, according to a newspaper report Tuesday, suggests that Prime Minister Tony Blair persuaded President George W. Bush not to bomb the Arab satellite station Al-Jazeera.
According to the Daily Mirror, Mr. Bush spoke of targeting Al-Jazeera's headquarters in Doha when he met Mr. Blair at the White House on April 16 last year. The U.S. government has regularly accused Al-Jazeera of being a mouthpiece for anti-U.S. sentiments.
Mr. Blair's Downing Street office would not comment on the report.
In Qatar, Al-Jazeera said it was aware of the report but did not wish to comment immediately.
The Daily Mirror, a Brit tab, is a bit more incendiary in its language. An excerpt:
PRESIDENT Bush planned to bomb Arab TV station al-Jazeera in friendly Qatar, a "Top Secret" No 10 memo reveals.
But he was talked out of it at a White House summit by Tony Blair, who said it would provoke a worldwide backlash.
A source said: "There's no doubt what Bush wanted, and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it." Al-Jazeera is accused by the US of fuelling the Iraqi insurgency.
The attack would have led to a massacre of innocents on the territory of a key ally, enraged the Middle East and almost certainly have sparked bloody retaliation.
A source said last night: "The memo is explosive and hugely damaging to Bush.
"He made clear he wanted to bomb al-Jazeera in Qatar and elsewhere. Blair replied that would cause a big problem."There's no doubt what Bush wanted to do - and no doubt Blair didn't want him to do it."
A Government official suggested that the Bush threat had been "humorous, not serious".
But another source declared: "Bush was deadly serious, as was Blair. That much is absolutely clear from the language used by both men."