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
