CAIRO, Egypt, Dec. 20, 2006
Qaeda No. 2: U.S. Talks With Wrong People
Zawahiri Says America Must Negotiate With 'Real Powers' In Iraq
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Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahiri is al Qaeda's second-in-command behind Osama bin Laden. (AP /APTN)
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"I want to tell the Republicans and the Democrats together ... you are trying to negotiate with some parties to secure your withdrawal, but these parities won't find you an exit (from Iraq) and your attempts will yield nothing but failure," al-Zawahiri said on the tape, sections of which were aired in successive news bulletins.
"It seems that you will go through a painful journey of failed negotiations until you will be forced to return to negotiate with the real powers," he said, without identifying these powers.
The video — which bore the logo of al Qaeda's media production house, al-Sahab — was the 15th time this year that al-Zawahiri has sent out a statement. In Wednesday's tape, he appeared exactly as in previous videos that have been authenticated by CIA analysts. He wore a black turban and white robe and pointed his finger at the camera for emphasis. As usual, he had a rifle behind his right shoulder that was leaning against a plain brown backdrop.
Al-Zawahiri attacked the proposal of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to hold early elections to resolve the contest between the Fatah and Hamas parties, which has degenerated to daily gunbattles in the streets of Gaza.
In the clips broadcast by Al-Jazeera, al-Zawahiri did not say how the two parties should settle their dispute, but he scoffed at elections, saying: "Any way other than holy war, will lead us only to loss and defeat."
He did not say whom the Palestinians should fight, but previously he has always recommended "holy war" against Israel and the West.
He described Abbas as "America's man in Palestine," and warned that if Palestinians accepted him as their president, it would be "the end of holy war."
In what appeared to be a reference to Abbas and his Fatah party, al-Zawahiri said: "Those who are trying to liberate the Islamic territories through elections based on secular constitutions, or on decisions to hand over Palestine to the Jews, will not liberate one grain of sand of Palestine."
He also criticized the militant Hamas party — although he did not name it — which has condemned the proposal for early elections. He accused Hamas of making a number of concessions that would ultimately lead to "the recognition of Israel."
He said these concessions began with Hamas' signing "the truce" with Israel last year, then the group took part in the January elections "based on a secular constitution," and recognized Abbas as the head of the Palestinian authority.
Al-Zawahiri rebuked Hamas particularly for not pushing for an Islamic constitution before it contested the elections.
"Aren't they an Islamic movement? Aren't they campaigning for the word of God to be supreme?" he said, adding the party should have insisted on the drafting of "an Islamic constitution for Palestine."
In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum brushed off al-Zawahiri's criticism and defended the party's electoral policy.
"Our Palestinian institutions are in need of reform, and to fix them we need to participate in the parliament and other institutions," Barhoum said.
"We are not responding to al-Zawahiri so much as we are affirming who we are as a movement," Barhoum added.
Meanwhile, a truce agreement between Hamas and the Fatah party announced Tuesday night was marred by fresh violence Wednesday, as two police officers loyal to the president's Fatah party were killed.
Fatah officials condemned the killing but said they remained committed to the truce. Gaza City remained calm at midmorning, in contrast to the pitched battles that raged in city streets a day earlier.
However, hundreds of people called for revenge at the policemen's funeral, raising the prospect of renewed fighting.
Al-Zawahiri's comments were expected to have little influence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas has distanced itself from al Qaeda, saying its struggle is against Israel, not the West at large.
"I don't think it would have any impact," said analyst Diaa Rashwan of the tape.
Rashwan, an expert on militant groups at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Cairo, said Hamas is a strong critic of al Qaeda, although both groups call for Israel's destruction.
Abbas has accused al Qaeda of infiltrating the Palestinian territories, but Palestinian security officials say there is no hard evidence of that. They accuse local groups of fabricating links to al Qaeda as a diversion.
Al-Jazeera staff declined to comment on how and when they obtained the tape.
The broadcast came two days after a posting on a militant Islamic Web site announced that a message from al-Zawahiri was coming.
©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 54 CommentsWhatever we do should be considering American Interest.Nothing has ever hurt AMERICAN INTEREST,LIVES and MONEY then US taking oil in cheaper prices from ARABS and supporting their those enemies who were brought into Palestine after WWII to occupy the land of those PALESTINIANS by force who had nothing to do with the crimes comited by HITLER.
It's time to stop making foreing policies on the basis of PSYCHOSIS called CHRISTAINITY.We need to stop considering Americans as GOD-NEGLECTED and NON AMERICAN EUROPEAN INVADERS IN PALESTINE as GOD-CHOSEN.Why should we sacrifice American interests based on OIL for the GOD-CHOSEN ENEMIES of the GOD'S ONLY SON while EUROPEANS and CANADIANS enjoying real western RELIGION FREE FULL OF FUN LIVES.
Be practical."You said we need to concentrate on hunting them down".
Is it practically possible.OSAMA BEEN FORGOTTEN still at large since BUSH was more interested in IRAQ INVASION to kill and displace IRAQIs from their land and to bring the GOD-CHOSEN ENEMIES of the GOD'S ONLY SON to occupy that land just like they were brought into Palestine after WWII.In the mean time N.Korea has built Nukes which she'll definately sell to OBL as she has built em for business reason.We've lost Iraq war by BUSH's RADICAL CHRISTIAN POLICIES.Are we ready to lose millions of US citizens in next terrorist attck for helping the GOD CHOSEN ENEMIES of the GOD'S ONLY SON.
Nobody has been fooled like Americans on the name of NON-SENSE CHRISTIANITY.The only purpose of the creation of GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICANS is to be SLAVES,SERVANTS and PROTECTORS of the GOD CHOSEN ENEMIES of the GOD'S ONLY SON.
The US should take up their suggestions. LOL
I'm sure that the US would love to talk to those maniac muslims. Where would they like the talk to take place? LOL
Very good posts, you state your cases well.
As for the usual name callers and insult slingers, Their characters are so obvious most readers dismiss them out of hand.
As well as that, considering there are a hell of a lot more Muslims than Americans, your attitude of "kill them all" isn't very practical. And your accusations of bloodthirst on the part of the Muslims when you then go on to advocate killing as many as possible is rather hypocritical.
It's a good thing you aren't here to debate, because you don't seem very good at it. You've got the unthinking macho chest-beating down, though. I guess we all have our strengths. It's unfortunate that yours seem to lie in areas that in no way contribute to the improvement of the species. I guess evolution misses people occasionally.
Please never breed.
Being right on the scene, or having friends or family members involved, is likely to form emotional opinions. taken by itself, though, it doesn't impart knowledge, and honestly, your opinions read more as prejudice and anger. While those are understandable in the face of negative experience, they tend to blind people to the larger picture, which includes the global wrongdoing of the US, as well as the local wrongdoing of our enemies.
I won't suggest you shut up, as that is extremely rude. Nor will I presume to doubt that you lack knowledge. As of yet, however, you haven't displayed any.
You brainless left wing radical Liberals just do not have a clue. This is the real world we are faced with, President Bush has done a wonderful job protecting your a$$es from these animals, but, you will never admit this simply because you hate the man. You have let your hatred sway your incompotent minds into wanting him out more than wanting whats best for this world you live in.
THANK YOU president Bush for standing on principal and not caving for the weak do nothing stance that the Liberals would have you to do!!!!
MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!
Things are more complicated than you or George Bush would like to believe, I'm afraid. If you actually want to get down to single root causes (not that their actually is one single cause) the US and Great Britain started this current mess with their post WWII mid-East policies, most particularly depriving the Palestinians of their country so that the Jews could have it. Or, if you want to go back further, the Crusade (that is, invasion) to "re-take" Jerusalem (despite the fact that it happened never to have been a European holding in the first place) may have started it.
If your view of history only goes back to 1979, and you can't even get the facts straight about that short period, I'm afraid you're underinformed.
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