London, Jan 05: British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw today said it was safe to assume that an audio tape purportedly from al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is genuine. The al-Jazeera satellite channel yesterday broadcast the tape in which a voice identified as bin Laden's urged Muslims to continue fighting a holy war in Iraq and the middle east rather than cooperate with peace efforts. "I've had no confirmation but let's for the purpose of this interview assume that it was him," Straw told Radio. Asked whether he thought that assumption was safe, Straw replied, "Yes." "There is no question that the al-Qaeda organization and its networks are still around. And so far as we know, Osama bin Laden is still alive," Straw said.
"It is possible still today despite all the benefits of technology for an individual, if he's well resourced as Osama bin Laden unquestionably is and supported by some groups, to be effectively hidden for quite a period," he added. "Searching for him remains a key issue."

The tape's authenticity could not immediately be verified, although the voice resembled that of bin Laden. "The CIA (US Central Intelligence Agency) and appropriate intelligence authorities are reviewing the tape to check for its authenticity," Allen Abney, a spokesman for US President George Bush, said yesterday.

Bureau Report