Al Qaeda Calls Mideast Talks A "Betrayal"

Deputy Leader Rails Against Annapolis Conference, Calls On Palestinians To Reject Talks

(CBS/AP)  Al Qaeda's deputy leader denounced last month's Mideast peace conference in Annapolis, Md., as a "betrayal" of Palestinians in a new audio message posted Friday on an Islamic militant Web site,

It was the first reaction by the terrorist network to the Mideast conference, sponsored by President Bush and attended by key Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt, as well as Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

The conference relaunched Palestinian-Israeli peace talks after a seven year hiatus - a key breakthrough in the region's core conflict.

"The Annapolis meeting was held to turn Palestine into a Jewish state," the voice, purported to be that of Ayman al-Zawahiri, said in the 20-minute posting that carried a still photo of the white-turbaned militant against a backdrop of a photograph from the conference.

"The czar of Washington invited 16 Arab countries... to sit in one room, at one table with the Israelis," al-Zawahiri said, adding that the conference "witnessed the betrayal deals to sell Palestine."

The authenticity of the Friday's posting, downloaded by CBS News could not be independently confirmed, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by al Qaeda, and carried the logo of the terror group's production unit, as-Sahab.

Al-Zawahiri mainly addressed Arabs, urging them to condemn the Annapolis conference and label Mahmoud Abbas as "the traitor," adding that the Palestinian "brother-president sold you out in Annapolis and in its aftermath."

It's time now, he said, for the Muslims to "extent hands to other jihad brothers" - a likely reference to militants beyond the Middle East.

"My brothers in Palestine, we, all Muslims, the Mujahedeen are by your side, in your confrontation with the Zionist enemy," al-Zawahiri said. "We will not let you down even if your politicians do."

Al-Zawahiri admonishes any Palestinians who might back the talks with Israel as betraying the greater cause of jihad: "You ought to remember that you are seeking to liberate every inch of Muslim land," he tells them, indicating that settling for a Palestinian state alone would be neglecting the greater cause. "You, and other Muslims, are waging a single jihad, on behalf of a single nation, against a single Zionist-Crusader enemy."

The message seemed to be an attempt to guilt-trip Palestinians into rejecting the peace-process.

It was a nuanced change of tone from al Qaeda, which has for years rallied Muslims around the cause of liberating the Palestinians - a message which al-Zawahiri did repeat in the new audio.

He also criticized an iconic Islamic militant, without naming him, who after years in an Egyptian jail has said al Qaeda is fighting its holy war in a way that contradicts the Holy Quran. "Those revisionists are in fact calling for a new American religion that violates God's rules," he said.

A top jailed Jihad leader, Sayed Imam, last month announced his "Revisions" - a recanting of his past calls for the use of force to overthrow Arab governments seen by militants as infidels.

Egypt is hoping the "Revisions" will diminish support for militancy but al Qaeda leaders have dismissed similar past recantations as forced on imprisoned militants. Imam is seen as one of the founders of the jihadist movement, and his earlier writings have been used as guiding principles for decades.

"I am addressing the Muslim nation in Egypt in particular: where is your role in confronting aggression on Islam and Muslims?" al-Zawahiri said. "Stand up and ... be aware of the poisons of weakness and submission which the traitor regime is trying to inject into you through the tongues of the revisionists."

He called on Egyptian soldiers and also Bedouin tribes in Egypt's Sinai penisnsula to rise against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

"God wants you to get ready, for the sake of God," al-Zawahiri said.

Al-Zawahiri - seen by many counterterrorism experts to be al Qaeda's operational chief, rather than bin Laden - is believed to play a large role in directing al Qaeda's strategy on the ground and issues frequent videos an audiotapes, often laying out the network's doctrinal line.

In most recent postings, al-Zawahri sought to galvanize fighters from North Africa to Afghanistan in a September video. In an audiotape in July, he threatened to retaliate against Britain for having honored novelist Salman Rushdie and railed against Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf.

[Con Mohrat]

samsel3 wrote:
The real story is the proposed oil pipeline that will be built down the coast from Turkey to Israel.

~~~~~~~~~~

The pipeline sounds very much like the sparrow that brought straw into my car''s warm engine compartment in the parking lot in an attempt to build a nest.

I am sure it will not be as vulnerable to a matchstick as California in the dry season, because Bush may build a 700-mile fence through hostile territory. After all, 700-miles is all he could manage to prevent "migrations" for our 10,000 mile borders.

[underdogus]

get a load of al-Zawahri: QUR''AN 8:12.. ALLAH wish to confirm the truth by his words wipe the infidels out to the last.....JIHAD!!!! harrrggg....

[toolmangler-2009]

Posted by AJMarine1 at 05:52 PM : Dec 14, 2007


FIVES!!

[toolmangler-2009]

If Al-Zawahiri doesn''t like it, then we must be on the right road.

[samsel3]

The agenda for the recent middle east peace summit was covered up. The real story is the proposed oil pipeline that will be built down the coast from Turkey to Israel. Condi Rice is trying to broker this deal. BP oil, US oil interests and the Saudis all have a stake in that pipeline. Domonique Strauss- Khan managing director of the International Monetary Fund and Robert Zoellick president of the World Bank were also in attendance. Big money won''t finance the venture without stability in the region. Same as the deal with the Caspian Sea pipeline.

[Con Mohrat]

" It was the first reaction by the terrorist network to the Mideast conference, sponsored by President Bush "

Mr. Zawahiri did not need to bother. This conference was an orchestrated waste of time. Since they omitted to invite Hamas, the winner in the Palestine elections, failure was a foregone conclusion.

The Zionists have made overtures towards helping this conference, in the opposite direction, by just invading Gaza ensuring the next 60 years will rockets, tanks, and wars, be much like the previous 60.

Maybe those Arab leaders had a lot of time to spare.

[feelfree1]

AJMarine1 at 05:52 PM,

;-)

Doh!

[ajmarine1]

Posted by FeelFree1 at 05:39 PM : Dec 14, 2007


Maybe he bumped his head one to many times going in and out of the cave?

[underdogus]

IM amazed at the responses of so many. They obviously believe in the innate goodness of all men to their own peril. They believe evil to be a figment of the imagination if only all men "could just get along" they blindly rush toward their own destruction as they refuse to see the threat that confronts them. It will be a great surprise to them one day when danger is upon them and they are caught like a bird in a snare, they have a natural distaste toward ISRAEL as they seek to rip any notion of God from the fabric of their minds in order that their consciences might give them reprieve from the sin they so joyfully embrace. God is a covenant-keeping and righteous GOD

[feelfree1]

AJMarine1,

True, Gorby had some significant splotching, but he is not Muslim as you have noted, and his splotches seem to be a birthmark.

This "Zawahiri" clown, on the other hand, appears to spend a lot of time grinding his forehead into a patch of razor-wire Astro-Turf, for some reason.

[edward1975-2009]

I had heard months ago that the US had signed leases to establish permanent bases in Iraq, if so then that would explain why all who oppose Isreal are willing to talk. My thought is we will do to the Middle-East what we did to Europe after WWII. Whether our constant presence will help the tension in the Middle-East will be seen, but make no doubt we are also in it for economic reasons also. There was something to I read that I thought I would pass on, the five leading arms dealers in the world, just happen to be the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Go figure.

[ajmarine1]

Anyone?

Posted by FeelFree1 at 05:06 PM : Dec 14, 2007


I''ll bite; how about Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev?

I don''t think he is a Muslim zealot, but he is the only person I could come up with that had that kinda "rug burn."

[feelfree1]

By the way, can anyone name a single Muslim zealot that has a rug-burn/scar on their forehead that is as pronounced as the one on the forehead of this alleged "Al Qaeda deputy leader"?

Anyone?

[ajmarine1]

Good afternoon to all.

Posted by Edward1975 at 04:15 PM : Dec 14, 2007

The same to you Edward.

[feelfree1]

Re: "What Al Qaeda wants to do is keep death and war going ad infinitum, even if it means every last Palistinian is dead as a result."

Thanks "jiminoregon". I''m glad to see an authentic spokesman for al-Qaeda show up to comment here, to take my mind off of this fake IntelCenter garbage.

Thanks for the update, and for outlining your plan for us.

[jimc52]

It''s obvious, Al Qaeda''s feeling left out...in fact, I bet they are feeling passe. Everyone, including legitimate Arabs know Al Qaeda doesn''t speak for them. What Al Qaeda wants to do is keep death and war going ad infinitum, even if it means every last Palistinian is dead as a result. This meeting which includes the Arab nations, indicates that the Arabs, in general, are fed up with Al Qaeda. The recent murder this week in Algiers is just another testimony to Al Qaeda''s obsolescent diatribe. I''m sure Algeria really loved been bombed...so endearing to the cause of spreading Islam. It''s time the Arabs finally took control of their own fanatical murderers. If the Saudi''s can whip and beat a woman to death, they can easily get hold of their terrorists and do the same.
The entire world should put pressure of Saudi Arabia to get control of their terrorist nationals. But I am betting they are scared to death in thinking their own fanatic Muslims will bomb them too. That is why they aren''t doing anything realistic about it. They are too scared, and too fat on oil revenues to enforce their own Islamic Laws on their own murderers.
Perhaps there will be Muslims with enough guts to turn the terrorists in to their own courts of justice so they can be whipped and thrown off of minarettes like they do to women.

[edward1975-2009]

Good afternoon to all. Wonder if Al-Queada''s problem is they think that maybe something can be worked out between Isreal and the rest of the nations who have opposed them. Maybe they feel left high and dry.

[samsel3]

The agenda for the recent middle east peace summit was covered up. The real story is the proposed oil pipeline to be built down the coast from Turkey to Israel. Condi Rice is trying to broker this deal. BP oil, US oil interests and the Saudis all have a stake in that pipeline. Domonique Strauss- Khan managing director of the International Monetary Fund and Robert Zoellick president of the World Bank participated in the meeting. Big money won''t finance the venture without stability in the region. Same as the deal with the Caspian Sea pipeline.

[feelfree1]

One more thing:

This fake Zawahiri tape seems to be attempting to take everyone''s mind off of the debacle in Iraq. Just like the Regime is trying to do. Not a word about it.

Ooga-booga!!!

[feelfree1]

Dear CBS,

Re: "The authenticity of the Friday''s posting, downloaded by CBS News could not be independently confirmed, but it appeared on a Web site commonly used by al Qaeda, and carried the logo of the terror group''s production unit, as-Sahab."

What is the URL for thi alleged Web site, CBS? Why hasn''t it been shut down? Why are you devoting so many resources to promoting the alleged messages of this man? Why do you keep promoting "as-Sahab"? Isn''t this actually the "production arm" of the Bush propagandist service, IntelCenter?

Note to the dead-brained propagandists at IntelCenter and the SITE Institute-

Re: "God wants you to get ready, for the sake of God," al-Zawahiri said."

Since this fake tape is supposedly from a zealot Muslim, wouldn''t he be talking about "Allah", rather than "God".

If you could hammer out these details, your fake propaganda messages might be a little more believable, don''t you think?

This tape comes just in time to takea our attention off of the Bush torure program, the Cheney rape rooms, and the mounting defeats in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ooga-Booga, everyone!

Ooga-booga!