Dubai, Jan 05: Qatar-based al-Jazeera television on Sunday night aired an audio tape attributed to Osama bin Laden in which he appeared to refer to the December 13 capture of ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Gulf leaders "know that their turn is coming" after seeing "the capture of their former comrade in treason and collaboration with America," the voice purported to be that of the al-Qaeda terror chief said. "The audio tape contains new things. It refers to the Geneva initiative (an unofficial Israeli-Palestinian peace plan unveiled on December 1) and the capture of Saddam Hussein on December 13," al-Jazeera Editor Ibrahim Hilal earlier told a news agency. The man said to be Bin Laden also referred to the suicide bombings last may and November in Riyadh.

He also criticised Gulf countries for receiving members of the Iraqi Governing Council.

"The deterioration of the situation of Arabs and Muslims is in ignoring Islam as a basic program for rule," the Speaker said. He called for establishing a council to replace the Arab rulers and take on the role of unifying Arab positions and raising the banner of Jihad.
He called the Middle East issues part of a religious and economic war, saying the "big powers" were trying to control the region for its oil.
"The occupation of Iraq is the beginning of the full occupation of the other Gulf states. ... The Gulf is the key for control of the world in the point of view of the big powers because of the presence of the biggest deposits of oil."
Hilal, al-Jazeera's Editor-in-Chief, said the voice and language made him certain it was Bin Laden.
"It is Bin Laden's superb and special Arabic language that is very hard to emulate," Hilal said. "It is undoubtedly his voice, his style, and the typical examples from history he uses."
The last audio tape purported to be that of Bin Laden was broadcast by al-Jazeera last October. CIA analysts who examined that tape concluded it was probably authentic.
Bureau Report