Bush takes bin Laden-attributed tape 'very seriously'

Asian Political News, Nov 18, 2002

WASHINGTON, Nov. 13 Kyodo

U.S. President George W. Bush said Wednesday he is taking a new audio message attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden ''very seriously.''

''Whoever put this tape out has put the world on notice yet again that we're at war and that we need to take these messages very seriously,'' Bush told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

Bush said he will leave it to experts whether the message was from Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

U.S. counterterrorism officials reportedly believe the recording is authentic.

Bush said the U.S. is making great progress in its war on terrorism despite the possibility that bin Laden is still alive.

''Slowly but surely we are dismantling the terrorist network,'' he said.

The audio tape was aired Tuesday by on the Al-Jazeera television network in Qatar, along with an old photograph of the al-Qaida leader.

The message mentioned the Oct. 12 bombing of a nightclub in Bali, Indonesia and also the Moscow hostage-taking in October.

If verified, the audio message would provide the first clear evidence in a year that bin Laden survived U.S. bombing in Afghanistan.