Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

'International News Desk'

Aired February 24, 2004 - 05:35   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CNN will try to confirm the authenticity of a new al Qaeda tape that's supposedly out there. It's said, on the tape, it's said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden's chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here with that and other developments globally.

And the strange thing about this tape is the subject matter, to me.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, yes, this Zawahri tape is interesting for a few reasons, quite a few reasons. And just to update us now, we are getting an increasing number of our experts and people who know Zawahri's voice from previous tapes that have been attributed to him telling us that it is his voice that's aired on Al- Arabiyah today.

You're right, though, it's interesting that he's chosen in this audiotape to criticize the French ban on Muslim veils in schools. But when you think about that, some of these experts are already telling us that al Qaeda and Zawahri are past masters at homing in on subjects which their base, their base of support, are interested in, that get people going in the Islamic world. And clearly this French veil vote was something that appealed to a broader Muslim sense of anger. From their point of view, from al Qaeda's point of view, certainly, an act against Muslims in France; although, of course, from the French point of view, it was deemed to be something that equalized, no religious display of any kind.

COSTELLO: It continues to be amazing that if this is al-Zawahri, that he's able to get information wherever he's hiding out.

CLINCH: Right. Always a fascinating aspect. If these tapes from Osama bin Laden and Zawahri are real, where are they getting their information? Are they watching CNN?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CLINCH: Are they listening to the radio? It seems clear that that's the other interesting aspect, that since the veil vote was just last month, it gives us that date stamp that we always look for on these tapes. He's referring to an event that's happened just within the last couple of months.

We're going to continue to look into that and check on the authenticity. But, of course, that also comes as we're seeing today Pakistan launching this big military operation at the border. The U.S. watching that closely, pushing the Pakistanis to be as aggressive as they can, as the U.S. itself gets ready to launch a big military operation within the next few months -- we don't know exactly when -- on the Afghan side of the border, the idea being there to squeeze them.

COSTELLO: Well, and, of course, the standard worry here is that U.S. troops are going to be sucked into Pakistan now to join in the fight to find Osama bin Laden there.

CLINCH: Right. Officially, of course, the United States saying they have no intention of going across the border into Pakistan. The Pakistanis saying they don't need U.S. troops. The U.S. making it, making it absolutely clear they want the Pakistanis to squeeze the Taliban and al Qaeda units that are in Pakistan so that they will push them into Afghanistan and the U.S. can pursue them there.

We'll be watching closely. The weather is getting better in the mountains there, we're being told. So that military operation could maintain itself for the next few weeks or so.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: All right.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired February 24, 2004 - 05:35   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: CNN will try to confirm the authenticity of a new al Qaeda tape that's supposedly out there. It's said, on the tape, it's said to be the voice of Osama bin Laden's chief deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri.
Our senior international editor, David Clinch, is here with that and other developments globally.

And the strange thing about this tape is the subject matter, to me.

DAVID CLINCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL EDITOR: Well, yes, this Zawahri tape is interesting for a few reasons, quite a few reasons. And just to update us now, we are getting an increasing number of our experts and people who know Zawahri's voice from previous tapes that have been attributed to him telling us that it is his voice that's aired on Al- Arabiyah today.

You're right, though, it's interesting that he's chosen in this audiotape to criticize the French ban on Muslim veils in schools. But when you think about that, some of these experts are already telling us that al Qaeda and Zawahri are past masters at homing in on subjects which their base, their base of support, are interested in, that get people going in the Islamic world. And clearly this French veil vote was something that appealed to a broader Muslim sense of anger. From their point of view, from al Qaeda's point of view, certainly, an act against Muslims in France; although, of course, from the French point of view, it was deemed to be something that equalized, no religious display of any kind.

COSTELLO: It continues to be amazing that if this is al-Zawahri, that he's able to get information wherever he's hiding out.

CLINCH: Right. Always a fascinating aspect. If these tapes from Osama bin Laden and Zawahri are real, where are they getting their information? Are they watching CNN?

COSTELLO: Exactly.

CLINCH: Are they listening to the radio? It seems clear that that's the other interesting aspect, that since the veil vote was just last month, it gives us that date stamp that we always look for on these tapes. He's referring to an event that's happened just within the last couple of months.

We're going to continue to look into that and check on the authenticity. But, of course, that also comes as we're seeing today Pakistan launching this big military operation at the border. The U.S. watching that closely, pushing the Pakistanis to be as aggressive as they can, as the U.S. itself gets ready to launch a big military operation within the next few months -- we don't know exactly when -- on the Afghan side of the border, the idea being there to squeeze them.

COSTELLO: Well, and, of course, the standard worry here is that U.S. troops are going to be sucked into Pakistan now to join in the fight to find Osama bin Laden there.

CLINCH: Right. Officially, of course, the United States saying they have no intention of going across the border into Pakistan. The Pakistanis saying they don't need U.S. troops. The U.S. making it, making it absolutely clear they want the Pakistanis to squeeze the Taliban and al Qaeda units that are in Pakistan so that they will push them into Afghanistan and the U.S. can pursue them there.

We'll be watching closely. The weather is getting better in the mountains there, we're being told. So that military operation could maintain itself for the next few weeks or so.

COSTELLO: We'll see what happens.

David Clinch, many thanks.

CLINCH: All right.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com