Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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June 3, 2009

New Bin Laden Tape Criticizes Obama
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=24932C4:A6F02AD83191E16085DFB3D554891B0D2E7CA1C1B166B639&
 
Excerpts of recording aired on Al-Jazeera television, shortly after Mr.
Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia, first stop on a trip where he is reaching
out to Muslims around world 
Frame grab from Saudi-owned television network MBC (Middle East
Broadcasting Center) shows alleged terror mastermind Osama bin Laden A
new audio tape attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden is
criticizing U.S. President Barack Obama's policies toward Muslim
countries. Excerpts of the recording were broadcast on Al Jazeera
television Wednesday, shortly after Mr. Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia,
the first stop on a trip where he is reaching out to Muslims around the
world. Bin Laden said Mr. Obama is "following in the footsteps" of his
predecessor, George W. Bush, and is planting "new seeds of hatred"
toward the United States in the Muslim world. He linked that claim to
U.S. support for the government of Pakistan, which has been battling
Taliban militants in its northwestern Swat Valley. He accused Pakistani
President Asif Ali Zardari of launching the military offensive in Swat
on President Obama's orders. The authenticity of the tape has not been
verified. It is the second al-Qaida message aimed at the U.S. president
in two days. On Tuesday, Osama's deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri urged
Egyptians to reject Mr. Obama when the U.S. leader gives a speech in
Cairo Thursday that the White House says will emphasize his personal
commitment to improving U.S. ties with Muslim communities. In a
recording posted Tuesday on Islamist Web sites, Zawahiri said Mr.
Obama's "bloody messages" are still being received by Muslims. He says
those messages will not be concealed by public relations campaigns,
phony visits or polished words. U.S. officials have not confirmed the
authenticity of Zawahiri's remarks. Zawahiri's audio message was
accompanied by video of President Obama's visit to Israel and his speech
to a pro-Israel lobbying organization in the United States. During his
speech in Cairo, Mr. Obama is also expected to talk about the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict and address the issue of religious
extremism and violence in the Muslim world. Zawahiri and bin Laden are
believed to be hiding in the border area between Pakistan and Afgh
anistan.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.


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