US should talk to al-Qaida: Zawahri

CAIRO (Egypt)—The deputy leader of al-Qaida criticized both sides of the Palestinian power struggle in a video aired Wednesday, calling the Palestinian president “America’s man” but also lashing out at the Islamic group Hamas.
Egyptian-born Ayman al-Zawahri scoffed at the plan to hold early elections in the Palestinian territories, saying voting would lead only to defeat and the right policy was armed struggle. “Any way other than holy war, will lead us only to loss and defeat,” al-Zawahri said in clips broadcast by Al-Jazeera, the Qatari-based satellite channel.
He did not say whom the Palestinians should fight, but previously he has always recommended “holy war” against Israel and the West. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called early elections to end the increasingly violent rivalry between his moderate Fatah party and the militant Hamas movement, which dominates the parliament.
Al-Zawahri 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.” The video — which bore the logo of al-Qaida’s media production house, al-Sahab — was the 15th time this year that al-Zawahri 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-Zawahri also told the United States on Wednesday that it was negotiating with the wrong people in Iraq. “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-Zawahri 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.
Al-Zawahri appeared to be trying to mobilize support against a range of Middle Eastern players — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, his Hamas opponents, Iran and its Shiite allies in Iraq and elsewhere.
In what appeared to be a reference to Abbas and his Fatah party, al-Zawahri 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.—Agencies