On December 12, 2001 the Pentagon released a videotape (and translation) allegedly showing Al Q'aida leader Osama bin Laden in conversation with other Arab potentates. Controversy rages about its authenticity and content.

Our Special Correspondent Eric Mueller, an Arabic specialist, reports:

THERE are two stories from the Saudi paper ash-Sharq al-Awsat (published in London as well as Jeddah) that identify Bin Laden's guest in the tape, the mysterious "Saudi Shaykh."

Of particular interest is that their sources link the dream or vision about which this shaykh talks to a different religious leader than the one whose name appears in the tape subtitles.

Is that because the translator-transcribers couldn't hear the name properly? If so, what else might they have heard wrong?

Also the "source" quoted by ash-Sharq al-Awsat says that al-Harbi, the Shaykh visiting Bin Laden in the tape, was not responsible for the making of the video.

How the source would know that, I have no idea, but it's odd that the guest, the Shaykh, seems to be very much in the center of attention on the tape. One would think that Bin Laden's people, if they made the tape, would be interested in focusing on "their leader" putting the microphone close to him. Yet it is the guest whose voice is the least obscure of the lot (which, admittedly isn't saying much).

Finally, I've attached my translation of an editorial from the Iraqi Baath Party paper ath-Thawra of Sunday, 16 Dec. 2001. It throws doubt on the tape, not from internal evidence but simply because of the various claims the US has made about having "irrefutable proof" of Bin Laden's responsibility.

Related items on this website:

Articles in Saudi newspaper ash-Sharq al-Awsat

 Article in ath-Thawra