http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,18909802-29277,00.html Downer defies bin Laden
From: <http://www.news.com.au/?from=ni_story> By staff writers and agencies April 24, 2006 Bin Laden / AFP Recording ... a still shot from the latest Osama bin Laden video, which the US says is authentic / AFP THE latest audiotape by Osama bin Laden only serves to remind the world just how dangerous and fanatical al-Qaeda and its leader were, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said. Bin Laden has urged his followers to prepare for a long war against Western would-be occupiers in Sudan's Darfur region, according to the latest audiotape attributed to him. In the tape, the Saudi-born militant criticises the Sudanese Government for agreeing to a US-backed peace deal for the south of that country. He also criticises the Palestinians' Hamas-led Government for breaking what he said was a taboo against "joining infidel assemblies" and entering parliament. But he points to the isolation of Hamas as proof the West is waging war against Islam. Mr Downer today said the West would not be intimidated by such messages. "My reaction is a reaction of defiance," Mr Downer said ABC Radio. "These tapes from Osama bin Laden only reinforce my determination to fight these terrorists. "It just reminds us all of the dangerous, fanatical people we're dealing with, and the last thing we should show in a circumstance like that is weakness and defeatism. "This just reminds us that this is a tough fight. This is going on, it's going to continue to go on for a long time to come. "The worst thing we should do is show weakness and hesitancy in the face of these kinds of threats." The audiotape speaker, who sounded like bin Laden, rallied supporters to be prepared for protracted struggle in Dafur. "I call on the mujahideen and their supporters in Sudan ... and the Arabian peninsula to prepare all that is necessary to wage a long-term war against the Crusaders in western Sudan," bin Laden said, accusing the West of seeking to divide Sudan. Sudan hosted bin Laden in the 1990s, but on the tape he criticised Khartoum for not enforcing Islamic sharia law throughout the country and made clear his call to arms in Darfur is in spite of his differences with the Sudanese Government. Criticising a US-backed peace deal between Khartoum and southern rebels, bin Laden accused the US of planning to send "Crusader troops to occupy the region and steal its oil under the cover of preserving security there". Some UN troops have arrived in southern Sudan, the first of an expected 10,000 peacekeepers to be sent there. Sudan is resisting pressure for UN peacekeepers to deploy in Darfur. Bin Laden accused Washington of fuelling strife in the Arab country. AAP, AFP [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
