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Ayman al-Zawahiri |
In a videotape that aired Monday, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man
pledged to continue fighting the United States until it changes its
policies regarding Muslims.
Ayman al-Zawahiri, in tape broadcast by the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera
television network, said there are two ways to deal with Muslims --
"either with respect, or as if our lives and property are available for
you to invade."
He said he was offering advice that he expected American people to
ignore.
The tape's contents suggested al-Zawahiri recorded the message before
the November 2 election in which President Bush defeated Sen. John Kerry.
"You can elect Bush, Kerry or Satan himself, it doesn't matter to us,"
he said. "What's important to us is the U.S. policies toward Muslims."
Al-Zawahiri said the United States was "playing the game of elections"
along with Afghanistan and Iraq.
Both U.S. candidates, he said, were fighting over "the acceptance of
Israel. This proves there is no reasoning with America, but to force them
to accept our position by force."
CIA officials were analyzing the tape to assess its authenticity, a
spokesman said.
Al-Jazeera broadcast only parts of the tape but provided a summary of
the other segments.
According to that synopsis, al-Zawahiri castigated Egypt for its human
rights record and Saudi Arabia for providing staging areas for foreign
planes to launch attacks against Muslims.
In addition, al-Zawahiri criticized Pakistani President Pervez
Musharraf for his acceptance of Israel as demonstrated in a September
speech to the U.N. General Assembly.
He likewise rebuked Musharraf for helping foreigners kill Muslims and for
continuing in the role of army chief.
(Agencies) | 
Updated: 2004-11-30 10:59