Freedom of the PRESS

[El_Jibaro]

ARAB NETWORK CUTS TIES WITH CNN
FEBRUARY 01, 09:32 ET

By WARD PINCUS
Associated Press Writer

Bin Laden on tape.
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An influential Arab satellite station that chose not to air its own interview with Osama bin Laden cut ties with CNN because the cable network broadcast excerpts, in which

bin Laden said that:
killing innocent civilians ``is permissible in Islamic law.''

CNN said Al-Jazeera accused the American network of obtaining the tape illegally.

``Al-Jazeera will sever its relationship with CNN'' and will take action against ``organizations and individuals who stole this video and distributed it illegally,'' CNN quoted the Qatar-based station as saying Thursday after airing a story about the videotape.

Since the start of the Afghan campaign, CNN and Al-Jazeera have had an agreement to share material. CNN on Thursday said that deal gave it the right to all Al-Jazeera's material and that it had done nothing illegal.

Al-Jazeera officials in Dubai refused comment. The station's editor-in-chief, Ibrahim Helal, could not be immediately reached for comment on the relationship with CNN or why the station never broadcast the interview.

Al-Jazeera initially denied such an interview existed. But last month, Helal said he had several videos of bin Laden, possibly including a taped interview, that were not broadcast because they were deemed not newsworthy or of poor technical quality.

The Arab station has repeatedly broadcast exclusive footage of bin Laden making similar statements on terrorism. Al-Jazeera also aired a video released by the United States showing the al-Qaida leader appearing to discuss the planning of the Sept. 11 attacks.

CNN on Thursday aired only brief excerpts of what it said was a 60-minute tape. It said it obtained the interview ``from a non-governmental source.''

In the interview, believed to have been held in October, Al-Jazeera correspondent Taysir Alouni pressed bin Laden about his responsibility for the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States but got ambiguous answers.

``America has made many accusations against us and many other Muslims around the world. Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted,'' bin Laden said.

But moments later, he said: ``If inciting people to do that is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists.''

Bin Laden wore camouflage fatigues and spoke without emotion as he told his interviewer that killing innocent civilians ``is permissible in Islamic law.''

``I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed. The U.S. government will lead the American people in and the West in general into an unbearable hell and a choking life,'' bin Laden said.

Bin Laden also was asked whether he was responsible for the anthrax-by-mail attacks in the United States that have killed five people.

``These diseases are a punishment from God and a response to oppressed mothers' prayers in Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine and everywhere,'' he responded.

The interview was believed to have occurred about two weeks before the Taliban abandoned the capital, Kabul, and more than a month before the former ruling militia surrendered their last major stronghold, Kandahar.

That also would have been about the time American officials were criticizing Al-Jazeera's coverage of the bombing campaign as inflammatory propaganda.

U.S. officials had urged American networks to be careful in airing Al-Jazeera's bin Laden videos, saying he could use them to send coded messages to his fighters.

Al-Jazeera is a 24-hour station owned by Qatar's government but known for a fairly independent editorial line. It reaches more than 35 million Arabs, including 150,000 in the United States.

The interview's existence apparently was known in government and intelligence circles soon after it was done. CNN said the U.S. government had a copy and British Prime Minister Tony Blair quoted the interview in a speech to Parliament in November.

[El_Jibaro]

[i]BIN LADEN'S SOLE POST-SEPTEMBER 11 TV INTERVIEW AIRED
FUGITIVE AL QAEDA LEADER VOWS FIGHT TO THE DEATH

February 1, 2002 Posted: 11:02 AM EST (1602 GMT)



Bin Laden: "Freedom and human rights in America are doomed."


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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- [b]Accused terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden said "the battle has moved to inside America" in the only television interview he's granted since the September 11 attacks -- now airing for the first time.

The interview was conducted by the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera network in late October. Al-Jazeera decided not to televise it. CNN has obtained the videotape and began airing it Thursday night.

"We will work to continue this battle, God permitting, until victory or until we meet God," bin Laden -- the world's most-wanted fugitive, whose current whereabouts are a mystery -- told the Kabul reporter for the Qatar-based network.

"I tell you, freedom and human rights in America are doomed," bin Laden said as the U.S. war on terrorism raged in Afghanistan. "The U.S. government will lead the American people in -- and the West in general -- into an unbearable hell and a choking life."



FOLLOWING BIN LADEN
http://www7.cnn.com/video/world/2002....ajtv.med.html

When asked about U.S. accusations of his "collusion" in the attacks in New York and Washington, bin Laden responded, "America has made many accusations against us and many other Muslims around the world. Its charge that we are carrying out acts of terrorism is unwarranted."

But he then added, "If inciting people to do that is terrorism, and if killing those who kill our sons is terrorism, then let history be witness that we are terrorists."

On Friday, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer reacted to the bin Laden interview. "Everybody knows how evil Osama bin Laden is," Fleischer told CNN. "Other tapes have shown him take credit for the attacks and show he had advanced knowledge of the attacks. This tape showed the importance of completing the mission and protecting freedom, a mission that is bigger than Osama bin Laden."

Al-Jazeera conducted the exclusive interview with bin Laden on October 21, but declined to air it. Nearly two months later, the network said it did not meet its standards and was not newsworthy.

CNN felt otherwise.

"Once that videotape was in our possession, we felt we had to report on it, and show it because it is extremely newsworthy," said Eason Jordan, CNN's chief news executive. "And we really were dumbfounded as to why Al-Jazeera would decide not to air or even acknowledge the existence of the videotape."


Thursday, Al-Jazeera said it was severing its relationship with CNN and taking "the necessary action to punish the organizations and individuals who stole this video and distributed it illegally."

"Al-Jazeera does not feel it is obligated to explain its position and its reasoning of why it chose not to air the interview," it said in a statement.

CNN issued a statement saying: "CNN did nothing illegal in obtaining this tape, and nothing illegal in airing it -- our affiliate agreement with Al-Jazeera gives us the express right to use any and all footage owned or controlled by Al-Jazeera, without limitation."

Jordan said CNN has worked "very hard to establish and maintain and grow a very, very good relationship with Al-Jazeera, but this is a tough spot." He said the network "has some very tough questions to answer. Among them, why was the interview not ever televised, why did Al-Jazeera initially deny the existence of the tape, and what other tape does Al-Jazeera have, or did it have, that had never been acknowledged or televised. Clearly a lot of interesting material has fallen into Al-Jazeera's hands."

Al-Jazeera has not disclosed where the hour-long interview was conducted. The reporter seemed to have a professional rapport with bin Laden and asked him if he was behind the anthrax attacks in the United States that began some weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes.

Bin Laden did not offer a direct response but said, "These diseases are a punishment from God and a response to oppressed mothers' prayers in Lebanon and Palestine."

Later, bin Laden said, "We kill the kings of the infidels, kings of the crusaders and civilian infidels in exchange for those of our children they kill. This is permissible in Islamic law and logically."

The reporter then said, "So what you are saying is that this is a type of reciprocal treatment. They kill our innocents, so we kill their innocents?"

Bin Laden's response: "So we kill their innocents, and I say it is permissible in Islamic law and logic."

During the interview, which was taped in late October bin Laden ridiculed White House concerns that other on-camera statements he has issued since September 11 might carry hidden messages.

"They made hilarious claims. They said that Osama's messages have codes in them to the terrorists. It's as if we were living in the time of mail by carrier pigeon, when there are no phones, no travelers, no Internet, no regular mail, no express mail and no electronic mail. I mean, these are very humorous things. They discount people's intellect," bin Laden said.

Bin Laden cited the Soviet debacle in Afghanistan and the United States' failed 1993 mission in Somalia as examples to suggest a U.S. defeat in Afghanistan was within reach.

"We believe that the defeat of America is possible, with the help of God, and is even easier for us -- God permitting -- than the defeat of the Soviet Union was before."

In Somalia, U.S. forces pulled out after 18 U.S. special operations personnel were killed during a raid against a warlord faction in the capital Mogadishu.

"Our brothers with Somali mujahedeen and God's power fought the Americans. God granted them victory. America exited dragging its tails in failure, defeat, and ruin," bin Laden said.

The claim came just a few weeks before the collapse of his Taliban supporters in Afghanistan and the dispersal of his hardcore al Qaeda loyalists.

[yautiawoman2]

[quote]Originally posted by El_Jibaro
[b][i]BIN LADEN'S SOLE POST-SEPTEMBER 11 TV INTERVIEW AIRED
FUGITIVE AL QAEDA LEADER VOWS FIGHT TO THE DEATH

February 1, 2002 Posted: 11:02 AM EST (1602 GMT)



Bin Laden: "Freedom and human rights in America are doomed."


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Jibaro: It is because of people like you that Freedom and human rights in The USA and in the Americas are doomed unless we fight against religious fanatics like you. You and the Taliban and Bin Laden are in the same bag! Why are you insulting your own kind? It was Ollie North and the Republican Religious Right that created these people. People like you put the stupid idea in their mind that God was on their side and that they could destroy the "Evil Empire" now they know the Evil Empire is the Religious Right in the USA and they want to destroy the whole country because of psychos like you. Why should I have to tolerate all these weirdos, protestant, Bible Thumping, Death Squads freaks all from the religious republican right; just because people like you think like them and go around preaching the Ollie North Televangelist, Theocratic Facism, Republican US KKK Taliban nonsense does not mean the red necks are going to make you the 51st state. Bajate de esa nuve y ven aqui a la realidad!

Grow up and please dont call yourself a Jibaro you are just a plain oldfashioned good old boy, red neck, racista e intelectualmente impedido, dile a todos la verdad, eres, o quieres ser" from the deep south," all you need is a white sheet and I would be surprised if you dont belong to the English Only movement from the USA and the Heritage Foundation. Si te dejan tu borrarias el lenguaje, la cultura, la comida, las costumbres y las tradiciones de nuestra patria querida.

Quitate ese nombre de Jibaro, eres una desgracia para nosotros los Jibaros y mientras insistas en ello yo estare aqui. Tu eres un desastre, no insultes el nombre de Jibaro, chico, llamate Puro Red Neck y postrate frente al Dios del racismo y la propaganda de los blancos racistas, mijo, aqui te lincharian tan pronto sepan que te llamas"Jibaro!" Una semanita te doy por estos lares y te veo quemando la pecosa y llorando como un bebe pa regresar a tu pueblo, un pueblo que quieres vender porque crees en la pecosa, en el facismo, en la injusticia, en la opresion de todas las Americas. Sigue con tu bandera, y lo unico que te deseo es que te toque vivir entre tus compatriotas gringos, aqui en Gringolandia, pero aqui en el "Heartland" pa que sepas como pela el gas! Unete a Pat Buchanan! A los milicias, al White Arian Resistence, eso es si no eres un poco trigueno! Escoje, despues de todo o estas con ellos o estas en contra de ellos. En tu paradigma estan los teocraticos facistas y en el otro paradigma estoy yo. O eres negro o eres blanco, no es asi la cosa mi pana? Y si no es asi, explicame, como es?

Yautia.

Yautia de la Amazona y Boricua Independentista y Socialista. HLVS. Venceremos!