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CNN Sunday Morning

White House Calls Recent al Qaeda Statements Propaganda

Aired October 14, 2001 - 07:40   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.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: In a taped statement delivered to Al Jazeera network, which CNN has reviewed in its entirety, Suleiman Abu Gheith, an al Qaeda spokesman, gave his organization's reaction to the first wave of the U.S.-led strikes in Afghanistan. The statement is believed to have been taped on Thursday of Friday. In it, Abu Gheith repeats his earlier calls for the U.S. to end its support of Israel, leave the Arabian Peninsula, and lift the embargo on Iraq.

However, one demand was new: it was for the U.S. to stop helping Hindus against Muslims in Kashmir. He ends with a message -- with a warning to Muslims living in the U.S. and Great Britain: "Don't travel by plane, and don't live in high buildings."

DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: The White House certainly had some reaction to the statement as the president continues to try to reassure Americans that the government is taking strong precautions to try and protect Americans.

SAVIDGE: Let's check now with Major Garrett, who joins us from Washington -- Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Donna and Martin, the best way to describe the White House reaction to that al Qaeda statement is with one word: propaganda. Administration officials also have some other sentiments though -- one, that that warning -- the Muslims in the United States and the United Kingdom to stay out of tall buildings and airplanes only underscores al Qaeda's responsibility in the White House's view for the September 11 attacks and will in no way inhibit their ability to maintain the coalition against al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.

Also administration officials tell CNN that as al Qaeda tries to add more grievances as it did in this case -- the dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir -- it begins to undermine its own credibility, whatever shred of credibility it had from a White House perspective. Because as it adds grievances the White House thinks it's trying to foster resentment or at least support in the grassroots elements of the Muslim world that it has failed to achieve so far.

So overall the White House sees no particular threat at all in these al Qaeda statements.

The president spent a quiet day, we are told, at Camp David -- the presidential retreat in Maryland. He spent about 30 minutes engaged in a video teleconference with his national security team. You can see in this photo the CIA Director George Tenet and his National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

The president getting updates on the military front, the diplomatic front and ongoing efforts to deal with and understand more about the increasing number of anthrax scares around the United States. In his presidential radio address the president tried to reassure the public by saying the government was doing everything it could to find out everything it could about the anthrax scares, and that every tool of the federal government is being used to protect American citizens -- Martin and Donna.

KELLEY: Major Garrett, thanks very much from Washington.

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