Osama bin Laden has shown new signs of life, hailing the latest spate of terror attacks across the world at a dangerous time for the United States as it prepares for war against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In an audiotape attributed to him and broadcast by Al-Jazeera TV, the supposed bin Laden blasted US President George W. Bush as the "pharaoh of the century" and his key allies as "murderers."

The expressions used, as well as the locution and tone of voice, have left little doubt as to the identity of the speaker, according to preliminary analyses by US and Japanese voice experts on Wednesday.

"As you assassinate, so will you be (assassinated), and as you bomb so will you likewise be," the tape said, against the background of a photograph of the al-Qaeda terror network's leader, in turban and a camouflage jacket, a rifle at his side.

"What has happened since the conquests of New York and Washington up until now -- like the operations on Germans in Tunisia, the explosion of the French tanker in Yemen, on the French in Karachi, the operations against the (US) Marines in Failaka (Kuwait), on Australians and Britons in the explosions in Bali, as well as the recent hostage-taking in Moscow and other operations here and there -- were nothing but the response of Muslims eager to defend their religion and respond to the order of God and their Prophet."

The voice warned the "peoples of countries allied to the United States," against the "alliance between their governments and the United States to attack us in Afghanistan."

He cited "Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany and Australia."

Al-Jazeera did not provide any details on how it obtained the tape but said it showed bin Laden was still alive at least until the Moscow hostage-taking in late October or the October 28 killing of a US diplomat in Amman.

The Islamabad correspondent of the pan-Arab Al-Hayat newspaper received the same tape on Tuesday, the London-based daily announced, publishing a transcript of the tape the next day.

According to the Islamist jehad.net website, close to al-Qaeda, the moment chosen by bin Laden to broadcast the tape, "before the crusaders undertake their attack on Iraq," was aimed at making the "peoples of countries allied (to the US) pressure their governments" to boycott any such military action.

"He wanted to give hope to the sons of the Iraqi people and the Islamic nation and incite them to jihad," or Islamic holy war, the website said.

"Sheikh bin Laden also wanted to officially announce the failure of the crusaders' war against Islam and jihad," it said, calling the tape "irrefutable proof that he (bin Laden) is alive."

Bin Laden "has revealed that he is alive when he thought it appropriate, and has not allowed himself to be brought out by information propogated by the crusaders and their lackeys on his fate.

"That shows that Sheikh Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda acts calmly, without haste, and that they are keeping the initiative," jehad.net said, accessible Wednesday at www.jehadonline.org.

Ever since the US-led attack on Afghanistan late last year, there has been worldwide debate on whether bin Laden, who was in hiding there, had survived those attacks.

Copyright © 2002, AFP

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