Return to Transcripts main page
CNN TONIGHT
Al Qaeda Releases Taped Statement
Aired October 13, 2001 - 18:10 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JOHN KING, CNN ANCHOR: Now, more on a very important development this hour. In a taped statement delivered to the Middle Eastern al- Jazeera TV network and reviewed by CNN, Suleiman Abu-Gheith, a spokesman for the al Qaeda organization, gave his organization's reaction to the first wave of the U.S.-led strikes against Afghanistan.
The statement is believed to have been taped on Thursday or Friday. In it, Abu-Gheith gives the reaction to the first five days and nights of the U.S.-led strikes against Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SULEIMAN ABU-GHEITH, AL QAEDA (through translator): We are declaring our complete standing (UNINTELLIGIBLE) next to Afghanistan and its people against this vicious attack with all what it has materialistically and otherwise.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The spokesman then goes on to accuse the United States of intentionally bombing an Afghan village.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABU-GHEITH (through translator): He must know that his enduring freedom that he talks about has wiped out villages in Afghanistan. There are villages that have been totally annihilated. This came deliberately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The al Qaeda spokesman then accuses President Bush and his father, the former president, former President Clinton, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of crimes against Muslims.
But the spokesman also directed his anger at the leadership of Muslim countries, who at their conference this week gave support to the U.S.-led coalition. He asked Muslims to challenge their leadership.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ABU-GHEITH (through translator): They must continue their pressure, especially after the prime ministers of Islamic nations declared their support to this campaign. They don't represent the nation, anyway. They don't have this legitimacy that gives them the right to make decisions in the name of the nations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KING: The al Qaeda spokesman in that statement repeats earlier calls from Osama bin Laden that the United States end its support of Israel, for the United States to leave the Arabian Peninsula, to stop the embargo now in place for more than a decade against Iraq. And he added a new demand -- to stop helping Hindus against Muslims in the Kashmir region.
He ends with a message -- with a warning, excuse me -- with a warning to Muslims in the United States and Great Britain not to fly in planes or live in high buildings.
Their threats, he says, should be taken seriously, saying al Qaeda promises or threats, it keeps its word.
This statement, of course, of great interest to the Bush White House. The President up at Camp David this weekend, tracking developments in the war on terrorism.
For more, now, we're joined by CNN's Kelly Wallace, standing by nearby -- Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, John, certainly White House officials very much paying attention to this statement. I spoke with a spokeswoman who said that she's familiar with the statement, but saying this is, quote, more propaganda.
The official, though, definitely saying that the statement would be reviewed by federal officials. When asked if the Bush administration's taking these threats seriously, the official went on to say, we have dismissed this statement and its contents as more propaganda.
Now, John, as we know, Condoleezza Rice, the President's National Security Adviser, had contacted the television networks earlier in the week to advise -- request -- that they not air any of these statements in their entirety, out of concern that they could include coded messages.
When I asked this official if Dr. Rice or any of her aides would making more calls, perhaps to newspaper executives or other media outlets today, this official's saying that Dr. Rice or one of her aides did plan to make some calls to other media outlets in the week ahead.
Ari Fleischer, the President's spokesman, telling reporters on -- late in the week that there was some concern, definitely, about even printing this statement in its entirety in a newspaper, in that there could be some coded messages. So obviously, the White House definitely going to review this statement. But right now, John, the official line from the Bush White House is, this is, quote, more propaganda -- John.
KING: And Kelly, in that statement, as we just heard, the al Qaeda spokesman urges Muslims living in the United States or in Great Britain not to get on airplanes, not to live in tall buildings.
The administration, as it reviews this statement, has it already calculated from the previous statements released by bin Laden and his spokesmen, that perhaps the al Qaeda network, trying to incite continued fear into citizens here in the United States and in Britain, as well?
WALLACE: Definitely. Definitely, just in -- U.S. officials have certainly pointed to comments coming from bin Laden and previous statements, as trying to panic the American people.
And that is why you have heard the Bush administration continue to say that its best sort of defense against terrorism is to go on the offense, to go after Afghanistan's ruling Taliban and terrorists, and Osama bin Laden and his associates in Afghanistan.
Important to note, though, John. A lot of comments coming out today, Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban's spiritual leader, today calling on Muslims around the world to unite and help defend Afghanistan from these U.S.-led attacks.
And that is why the administration continuing to make the case publicly, privately, that this is a campaign against terrorism, not against any religion, not against Islam, not against the people of Afghanistan -- why you have the President continuing to tout all the humanitarian efforts as the administration is pursuing such a -- trying to help the children of Afghanistan.
So it's continuing to try to make that case to diffuse anything that is coming from the Taliban regime, and obviously, any associates of Osama bin Laden -- John.
KING: Kelly Wallace tracking the President near the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland. We'll check in with you a bit later.
Now we want to go to Islamabad, Pakistan. Our senior international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, standing by.
Christiane, this, a defiant statement, comes on the seventh day of the U.S. air strikes in Afghanistan, a defiant statement from the al Qaeda network, its likely impact on developments in the region.
CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, look, I think it's important to note that so far we've had several of these statements. This is the second one in the last week. Before that we had a statement from Osama bin Laden and his other cohorts, there. They are obviously trying to get their message out, whichever which way they can. And there are fairly easy ways of doing that, as you've seen that, through the al-Jazeera network, and then around the world through other broadcasters and print organization who will print -- who will, who will broadcast and disperse these.
They're obviously, as I say, trying to do two things. One, to show their continued defiance, and you've mentioned some of the threats that they've made. And another, to try to appeal to the Islamic world.
There has been several demonstrations, obviously, in Pakistan and around the Islamic world, but there hasn't been this sort of -- they haven't -- this call to arms that al Qaeda and the others have made, has not materialized around the Islamic world.
And there was a message from Mullah Mohammed Omar, the Taliban leader, earlier today, almost pleading with the Moslems around the world, saying, well whose side on you -- are you on? Why don't you come to our defense?
And I think it's -- a lot of this is very much directed to the Moslems around the world.
I think also important to note, that in any situation such as the one that is being faced right now, there are inevitably going to be an attempt to capitalize on whatever civilian casualties do occur.
Today the United States admitting that they had mis-hit, and hit a civilian target. Of course, there were pictures of that. And right now, the Taliban is escorting a few journalists into towns there, quite near the border area, including CNN.
And it's in their interest, and they will do this continually, as long as they get more savvy about the press, and show us civilian casualties, we're unlikely to see any of the military targets that have been hit.
But this is a repeat of what happened in the Gulf War, what happened in Serbia during the Kosovo. And we're likely to see more of this as they try to get their side of the story out -- John.
KING: Christiane Amanpour in Islamabad, Pakistan. More again from you a bit later. Thank you very much.
We continue to discuss, now, this statement -- this latest statement -- from the al Qaeda network.
I'm joined here in Washington by Gerald Post, who has researched this group extensively, professor of international affairs at George Washington University.
Sir, you heard the statement. You've been reviewing some of the transcript. Any surprises here?
GERALD POST, PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: Well, I'm struck with the upping of the ante now with personally targeting both President Bush and his father, wrapping in once again, now, Prime Minister Sharon.
The thing I'm most struck by, and this is consistent with the message from last Thursday, is the continuing emphasis on the storming of the planes.
On Thursday we heard the comment that thousands of young Muslims were seeking death by storming the planes. Now we have the emphasis to Muslims, do not live in high buildings or fly on planes -- just as America is beginning to come back to the world of aviation.
I think the goal of terrorism is to terrorize. He sees himself continuing to keep us economically off balance, and this is meant to keep up that crescendo of fear.
KING: What about the point Christiane Amanpour just made, that perhaps al Qaeda might be disappointed with the reaction of Muslims around the world.
We have seen anti-American protests, and the pictures are stunning. The demonstrations themselves. But when you count and put them in a context, perhaps not as great as many had anticipated.
POST: I think, after the initial attack, Osama bin Laden was exalted. And he has sought to promote himself as commander-in-chief of the Islamic world against the secular, corrupt West.
And I think he's really been on a high, and was -- has been trying to cast this as a religious war, which very shrewdly, both President Bush and Prime Minister Blair have been very careful. This is not a war against Islam. This is a war against terrorism.
And the fact of the support not coming that he would wish has to be hurtful to him.
KING: You say hurtful. Could this prove counterproductive when, in such a statement, they tell Muslims, as you noted, now don't fly, don't live in tall buildings. Specifically target the president of the United States, the prime minister of Great Britain.
One of the questions President Bush has been asking is, why not more outspoken support for moderate Arab leaders? When you have such a defiant, chilling statement from al Qaeda, do they not then, in effect, perhaps leave those leaders with no choice but to condemn a statement like this?
POST: One would hope they would come forward. They have been, unfortunately, rather muted in their response. And this is a serious problem, I think, for the West. Because this is not something that the West can take on.
The de-legitimation, the marginalization of al Qaeda and of the, and of someone who saw himself as this preeminent Islamic leader, has to come from within Islam.
KING: But you seem to think most of all the goal here is to incite fear, continued fear, among the American people.
POST: Yes. It's a defiant message, and their goal is to terrorize.
KING: Gerald Post from George Washington University, we thank you for your time.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
