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American Morning

Bin Laden Tapes Calls for Sunnis to Attack Shiites; Ultimatum For Israel

Aired July 03, 2006 - 08:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Another Osama bin Laden tape and the al Qaeda leader is trying to stir up more trouble in Iraq.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: More members of Saddam Hussein's family added to Iraq's most wanted list. Who and where are they?

O'BRIEN: An ultimatum for Israel. Militants holding a soldier hostage set a hard deadline for action.

COSTELLO: A cure for what ails General Motors. A deal being discussed now to bring in some French and Japanese partners.

O'BRIEN: And it's time for fireworks. But there are some things you should know before you light the fuse. You don't want to end up like that guy. How to keep your digits ahead on this AMERICAN MORNING.

Good morning to you.

I'm Miles O'Brien.

COSTELLO: And I'm Carol Costello in for Soledad.

Al Qaeda taking new directions today. The latest audio message from Osama bin Laden is the second to come out in just three days and it calls for the first time on Sunni Muslims to fight Shiite Muslims within Iraq.

National security correspondent Dave Ensor live in Washington to explain more.

What stands out about this tape to you?

DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I think what you just said, Carol, that here you have Osama bin Laden calling on Sunni Muslims to attacks the Shiites, to attack particularly the Shiites who have been involved in the various governments that have been set up since the fall of Saddam Hussein.

He calls them apostates. In other words, heretics. And this was always the call of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al Qaeda leader in Iraq. But U.S. intelligence captured a letter from bin Laden's deputy to Zarqawi advising him against killing so many innocent Shiite Muslims, saying that it was bad P.R. in effect, a very bad image for al Qaeda to be killing so many fellow Muslims. Now, you have the leader of al Qaeda coming out in favor of attacking those Shiites who have been involved in these governments or supporting them. This is something of a change of tactics by al Qaeda. Whether it will work or not is an interesting question. But it's a shift by bin Laden, who previously, along with his deputy, had advocated just attacking the Americans and the Westerners in Iraq -- Carol.

COSTELLO: A question for u. You know, they're changing tactics, changing strategies.

Might that smack of desperation, because the first strategy wasn't working?

ENSOR: Well, you know, bin Laden and al-Zawahiri are stuck up, we think -- U.S. intelligence thinks -- in the area of Pakistan up near the Afghan border. And perhaps they sometimes cross the border. They're not able to do much except issue lots of tapes and they certainly have been issuing a blizzard of them in the last period of time.

The other thing I should mention on this particular tape is bin Laden's endorsement of a new leader for al Qaeda in Iraq. And I think we have that tape.

You can hear how he puts it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OSAMA BIN LADEN (THROUGH TRANSLATOR): Our brothers, the Mujahedeen, and al Qaeda organization have chosen the dear brother, Abu Hamza al-Muhajir as their leader, to succeed the emir, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. I advise him to focus his fighting on the Americans and everyone who supports them and allies himself with them in their war on the people of Islam and Iraq.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENSOR: Nobody that I've spoken to in the U.S. government knows who Abu Hamza al-Muhajir is. The Pentagon has been saying that they believe a guy named al-Masri has been made the new head of Al Qaeda Iraq. And it may be that this is a new nom de guerre for that particular individual, or it could be someone else.

In any case, here you have a message to Al Qaeda Iraq, to the supporters that they should follow this particular individual, and they certainly know who it is -- Carol.

COSTELLO: So it might be the same guy? We just don't know.

ENSOR: It could be. It could be.

COSTELLO: All right.

ENSOR: It probably is, but we don't know.

COSTELLO: David Ensor live in Washington this morning.

Thank you.

ENSOR: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: Bin Laden's taped message comes in the wake of another terrible bombing in the heart of a Shiite neighboring of Baghdad, Sadr City. More than 70 killed over the weekend there. There is concern, of course, that it will just further fuel the sectarian tit for tat violence.

John Burns, the Baghdad bureau chief for the "New York Times," joining us now from Baghdad with more on this.

John, certainly the Shiites or the Sunnis, no one there needs any encouragement to continue this sectarian violence. Let's factor in Osama bin Laden's tape, however.

Does it have any real impact in the streets of Baghdad and beyond?

JOHN BURNS, "THE NEW YORK TIMES": Well, I think bin Laden and his deputy, Zawahiri, have been ambiguous, to say the least, about this question of sectarian killings. You may recall that within the last year or so, bin Laden or Zawahiri, in a letter to Zarqawi, in effect poured cold water on the idea of igniting a sectarian war here, opposed beheadings.

It was clear at that point that they thought that Zarqawi was off the reservation. They were trying to reign him in.

Now Zarqawi is dead. They seem to want to ride on, if you will, as we might think, a perverted glory of his martyrdom and they're moving back toward an endorsement of his tactics, as you've already reported, with talk about -- not specifically about killing Shiites, but of targeting the Americans and all who support them, spiritual leader, of course, the new Shiite-led government and its supporters, which, of course, by implication does mean Shiites.

But to say that Iraqis in general -- Sunnis on the one hand, Shiites on the other -- support this kind of sectarian war, I think is very wrong. I think that the overwhelming majority on both sides of this do not support it and they're appalled by the sorts of things we saw on Saturday, when 70 people were killed in the bombing in a Shiite neighborhood, presumptively by one of the al Qaeda linked groups, possibly Zarqawi's.

O'BRIEN: Well, let's pick up on that point, because the U.S. military has been suggesting since it killed Zarqawi that it had caused a major disruption to Al Qaeda in Iraq.

Is this bombing just prima facie proof that that is not so?

BURNS: I think both could be true. There's no doubt that they have made a major thing since Zarqawi's killing of attacking and busting up al Qaeda cells, killing quite a lot of people, arresting a lot of others. And there are other signs that al Qaeda is in some disarray here. That, of course, would not preclude the possibility that a cell here and there could still mount a suicide bombing, and, indeed, the American military has said all along, including in the immediate aftermath of the Zarqawi killing, that we have to expect that this will continue for some considerable time.

O'BRIEN: John, I'm shifting gears here slightly.

I'm curious about Iraq's announcement of a most wanted list. And on that list, Saddam Hussein's wife and daughter. His wife is in Qatar and his daughter is in Jordan. In the case of the daughter, in Jordan, the king of Jordan is protecting her as a guest, which I find interesting.

BURNS: Yes.

O'BRIEN: give us a sense of what is behind that announcement and where that is likely to lead.

BURNS: Well, on the face of it, it is very strange. But you have to remember that the present king of Jordan's father, King Hussein, earned a good deal of opprobrium in the Western world by, if not supporting Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Kuwait, not condemning him either.

Jordan is, is, as you know, Iraq's western neighbor. It's extremely vulnerable, as the hotel bombings in Amman, the Jordanian capital, last year, showed, to attack by the al Qaeda linked groups and by the Saddam linked groups.

So the king has to be very careful.

As to why the prime minister of Jordan specifically issued a statement saying that Raghad Saddam Hussein, Saddam's daughter, was living under the protection of the Hashemite monarchy, thus, King Abdullah, it is -- it is strange. There's no doubt that a great deal of money fled westwards with Saddam's family when he left here, whether from Swiss bank accounts or in the back of panel vans, we don't know.

But a large amount of money. And Raghad in Jordan has continued to be one of the big shoppers. She is ever -- she's often seen in the pricier boutiques of Amman. Her mother, Sajida, Saddam Hussein's first wife and the mother of the two sons, Qusay and Oday, is living in Qatar, also in some luxury.

Whether they are, in fact, supporting the insurgency here is moot. There may be a financial link, but in any event, they both seem safe, or at least Raghad seems safe as long as King Abdullah is prepared to protect her.

O'BRIEN: John Burns is the "New York Times" Baghdad bureau chief.

Thanks for your time, John -- Carol. COSTELLO: The heat still on. U.S.-led coalition forces clashing with Afghan insurgents. The military confirming an attack earlier this morning. The insurgent group apparently ambushed a military convoy in southern Afghanistan. Coalition troops responded, killing 20 militants. Two coalition forces were hurt during the fighting. It is not clear if they are Americans.

Also, in western Afghanistan, eight coeds injured in an explosion at a university. They were learning English. Police say the bomb was planted by someone who doesn't want women to get an education.

Israel launching more rockets into Gaza this morning. They're pressuring Palestinian militants to return an Israeli soldier who was kidnapped more than a week ago. Now those same militants have issued an ultimatum.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Gaza City to tell us more -- hello, Paula.

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Carol.

Well, this ultimatum came a little earlier this Monday. And it basically says that if Israel does not meet the demands of the three militant groups holding this kidnapped Israeli soldier, then the case will be closed.

Now, those demands were, in the past, that they wanted 1,000 prisoners from Israeli jails to be released. And they also wanted all Palestinian women and children to be released.

And now we've had the reaction from Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He has said he will not negotiate. He's said he will not react to extortion. And most Israeli politicians are saying that if they bow down to this one, then that that would bring all the Israeli soldiers into danger, that Palestinian militants would want to kidnap more, as they have in the past.

Now, as for the military action, the Israeli tanks and troops have moved into northern Gaza, but only a few of them. This is not the main military excursion that we were expecting from Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Most of the tanks still waiting patiently on the border to get the political call.

Now, also, clashes between Israelis and Palestinian militants is heating up. We've had three Palestinian militants being killed in southern Gaza. Two of those militants were wearing suicide belts. And then two in northern Gaza also died in clashes with Israeli the president's -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Paula Hancocks live in Gaza City this morning.

O'BRIEN: let's get a check of the forecast now.

Chad Myers at the CNN Center -- good morning, Chad.

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Miles. (WEATHER REPORT)

O'BRIEN: Still to come on the program, Iraq unveils its most wanted list.

But will it have any effect on the violence there?

We'll talk to Iraq's national security adviser in just a moment.

COSTELLO: We'll also talk to New Jersey governor, Jon Corzine. The state government has been shut down over a budget crisis. Corzine tells us whether vital services are in trouble.

O'BRIEN: And I guess we don't need to tell you fireworks are dangerous, but every year we show this.

COSTELLO: This manikin exploding.

O'BRIEN: Yes, this poor manikin -- actually it's not the same manikin, obviously. Basically they lose appendages like that. Don't do that. Kids -- don't do that at home or anywhere else. We'll run- you through the safety tips just to remind you, ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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O'BRIEN: Well, the Iraqis are not calling it a deck of cards, but they are following suit, issuing a most wanted list. Among others, it includes Saddam Hussein's wife and daughter.

But it might not be very easy to bring them to justice inside Iraq.

Joining me now live from Baghdad is the Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffaq al-Rubaie.

Mr. Al-Rubaie, good to have you with us.

First of all, let's talk about this most wanted list. Saddam Hussein's wife, who happens to be in Qatar, his daughter, who happens to be in Jordan, on the list. Many others, as well.

What's the purpose of issuing that list and are you very optimistic you'll be able to bring these people to justice inside Iraq?

MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQ NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Issuing this list is part and parcel of the national reconciliation and dialogue plan which was announced by the prime minister a week ago. And it will help identifying the -- those enemies who are against Iraq and show them and also seek help from our own people in -- of Iraq, from the ordinary citizen to help us in passing intelligence information concerning these people.

So taking basically our case to our people. Also, to apply pressure and bring those people from the neighboring countries, because they are using these safe sites, if you like, or safe places, to harm Iraq. Harboring these terrorists and these criminals in their country is not going to help at all. The -- it's not going to help the whole region, because we believe the security of Iraq is part of the security of the whole region. And if we cannot control terrorism in Iraq, then it will spread out all over the region and the whole region will be inflamed.

So, we...

O'BRIEN: Mr. Al-Rubaie...

AL-RUBAIE: ... believe that...

O'BRIEN: ... you used the term "harboring."

Are you suggesting the governments of Qatar and of Jordan are harboring criminals?

AL-RUBAIE: Well, let me tell you something. We -- I'm not referring to any particularly country in here. But certainly some neighboring countries are turning a blind eyes to the activities of these people. And I'm not going to names -- name any country. But I know that these people are doing their work without being hampered or without being impeded in their activities.

And they are funneling or transferring money inside -- to terrorists inside Iraq. They are doing the training for these people. And I'm not implicating any particular government here but I'm talking about the acts of terrorism inside Iraq done and helped by the work of these 41 people which we have released yesterday.

O'BRIEN: So would you call upon the Hashemite regime, the king of Jordan, to no longer classify Saddam Hussein's daughter as a guest, then? I mean specifically?

AL-RUBAIE: I will tell you something, that we, the Iraqi people and the Iraqi government, we will spare no effort. We will leave no stone unturned to bring these people to justice inside Iraq because they have blood on their hands. They have contributed a great deal to -- great harm to the Iraqi people. So we will chase them and we will follow them wherever they go and we will apply our political pressure.

But I can tell you, through coordination and cooperation between the Iraqi government and the Iraqi intelligence services and the Iraqi security forces, with the neighboring countries, we will get these people back to Iraq.

O'BRIEN: All right, I want to ask you about...

AL-RUBAIE: And after all, and after all, after all, Saddam Hussein is not -- himself is not immune from prosecution by the Iraqi government and by the Iraqi justice system, and let alone is his daughter or his wife.

O'BRIEN: Let's shift gears.

I want to ask you about this bin Laden tape. In this latest tape released from Osama bin Laden, he specifically calls upon sympathetic to al Qaeda insurgents and terrorists to target Shiites.

Is this -- do you think this will further fan the insurgent attacks inside Iraq?

AL-RUBAIE: See, we are not in any doubt about the Takfiri school of thought, this, the neo-celaphism (ph) style of thinking. And Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is exactly like bin Laden, Osama bin Laden, like Zawahiri, like any other Takfiris all over the world, including Iraq.

So we believe that they -- they consider Shias are infidels, they consider Christians and Jews are apostates. So these -- they consider Sunnis, as well, who are clean shaven or who do not support their cause, also are infidels and against the cause of Islam.

So this is a school of thought which is a very strange school of thought. It's not part of the mainstream Islam at all. And we are not -- we're not, well, surprised by what Osama bin Laden is saying.

O'BRIEN: Mowaffaq Al-Rubaie, Iraqi national security adviser, thank you for your time -- Carol.

AL-RUBAIE: Thank you very much for having me.

COSTELLO: You're welcome.

Coming up, a budget crisis forces the governor of New Jersey to shut down the state. We'll ask Governor Jon Corzine just how dire the situation is.

Plus, a huge business deal that could force a proud U.S. automaker to go global. We'll look at what it means for the rest of the auto industry.

That's next on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: General Motors may be ready to join forces with two foreign rivals. If a proposed deal goes down, Renault of France and Nissan of Japan would pay $3 billion for a 20 percent stake in General Motors.

So, what could that mean for the industry and for car buyers like you and me?

Jean Jennings, editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine, joins us from Travers City, Michigan to sort it all out.

Good morning.

JEAN JENNINGS, "AUTOMOBILE" MAGAZINE: Good morning, Carol.

How are you?

COSTELLO: I'm terrific.

How are you?

JENNINGS: Good.

COSTELLO: First of all, let's talk about Kirk Kerkorian so that folks don't assume that he just flew in out of nowhere and came up with this deal.

JENNINGS: Oh, no, no. He's been mucking around for a long time. This guy is no Warren Buffett. He's not in this for -- to build teams or to make this company better. He's in it for the deal. And he -- you may remember him from the DaimlerChrysler deal, which he was right in the middle of that one.

COSTELLO: Well, he is the largest shareholder of General Motors, correct?

JENNINGS: He is, absolutely.

COSTELLO: And he had this secret meeting with Renault Nissan's chief, unbeknownst to General Motors.

So what did they talk about behind-the-scenes?

JENNINGS: Well, yes, that's typical. I mean that's very typical of Kerkorian and his -- his right-hand man, Jerry York. They met with Carlos Ghosn who, of course, everyone thinks is the be all end all. This guy came -- he was sent from Renault to turn this sun-around and he absolutely did it. And now he is back at Renault, in the middle of a restructuring, we should point out.

So they are undoubtedly talking about Carlos Ghosn coming in to run-General Motors. I have no doubt.

COSTELLO: G.M.'s Rick Waggoner, the chief at G.M. he knew nothing about this.

But he is paying attention, right?

JENNINGS: Oh, yes, he's paying attention, I would think. You know, and he doesn't need this. He is at -- he is turning some things around and he's had some really good successes in the past month. Obviously, a lot of people taking the buyout just like they wanted. And some real good successes with product. Their new SUVs are doing well, their pickups are doing well and they have crossovers coming no screen.

COSTELLO: Now, wait a minute. Alan Legeurt (ph) --

JENNINGS: He doesn't need this.

COSTELLO: Alan Legeurt just reported this morning that sale for G.M. aren't so hot. So what could be the harm in looking into this field?

It's not like General Motors cars are flying off the lots.

JENNINGS: No, they're absolutely not. But he does have some successes in a place where Nissan is not having successes. And let me just say that Renault is a mess in Europe. Nissan's sales are down, as well, in the United States. And their market share is off in Japan.

So what will this bring to General Motors?

COSTELLO: Well, but maybe this is just the wrong partner. Maybe General Motors should really seek out, perhaps, a better position partner.

JENNINGS: Bingo. General Motors is seeking anyone out right now. They're trying to mind their own business. And what this does is open the floodgates to make this happen. You know, we know that -- we've been predicting for some time, 10 years now, that the world is going to be three big conglomerate car companies. And it's been laughed at, laughed at.

In 2004, the -- an annual report, an annual survey of car executives, 35 percent of them said that they did not think there was going to be this big consolidation. Last year, over 51 percent now know it's happening. We're going that way. So, yes...

COSTELLO: OK, so if there's a big...

JENNINGS: A new partner. A better partner.

COSTELLO: If there's a big consolidation overall and every car company is part of this big conglomerate, what does that mean for the consumer?

JENNINGS: Well, I think it should mean that cars are less expensive to buy. It at least will mean behind the deal for the car companies, they should be cheaper to make. Whether that's translated to us or not is another story. And I will point out that synergies mean two jobs here, two jobs there become one job. All of these big conglomerates come with major job slashing.

COSTELLO: Ooh, that's true. And sometimes synergy is a hard thing to reach.

Jean Jennings, thank you very much, editor-in-chief of "Automobile" magazine.

Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, movie critic Roger Ebert on the mend, in the hospital this morning. Doctors giving him a thumbs up prognosis. We'll tell you why he's there in the first place.

And fireworks are certainly fun-on the 4th of July, but they can be dangerous, too. We'll have some safety tips for you.

That's just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.

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