By: (AP) Two men appeared in court Tuesday charged with violating the Official Secrets Act by leaking a document which reportedly detailed a private conversation between President Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair.
The Daily Mirror newspaper, citing unidentified sources, has claimed that the document reveals that Blair argued against Bush's suggestion of bombing the headquarters of the Arabic television channel Al-Jazeera in Doha, Qatar. The Daily Mirror said its sources disagreed over whether it was a serious suggestion.
Civil servant David Keogh, 49, appeared on a charge of passing a document to Leo O'Connor, who formerly worked for a British lawmaker.
Keogh was charged with an offense under Section 3 of the Official Secrets Act relating to "a damaging disclosure" by a civil servant of information relating to international relations, between April 16 and May 28 last year.
O'Connor, 42, was charged under Section 5, which relates to receiving and disclosing the information.
O'Connor indicated he intended to plead not guilty. Keogh did not say how he intended to plead.
Judge Timothy Workman ordered both men to appear again at London's Bow Street Magistrates Court on Jan. 10.
Neil Clark, O'Connor's lawyer, said it was important that the court saw the contents of the document.
"As far as we are concerned, it needs to be disclosed because it is impossible to defend unless you know the case you are defending," Clark said outside court.
He said his client, who worked as a researcher for former Labour Party lawmaker Tony Clarke, had simply passed on the document hoping his employer would then return it to the government -- which he did.
Clark said he did not know what was in the document, and could not confirm the Daily Mirror report.
Last week, legislator Adam Price asked Blair in a written parliamentary question "what information you received on action that the United States administration proposed to take against the Al-Jazeera television channel."
In his one-word reply published Monday, Blair replied: "None."
White House spokesman Scott McClellan has called the newspaper's claims "outlandish and inconceivable."
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