(29 Nov 2007)
1. US State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack walks into briefing
2. Reporter asking question UPSOUND (English) "Osama bin Laden has urged Europeans to end their involvement in Afghanistan and reiterated his responsibility for the September 11th attacks. That's what we just heard from Al Jazeera TV."
3. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean McCormack, State Department spokesperson:
"I haven't seen the comments, but it's hardly news that he has claimed responsibility for the September 11th.
4. Reporter asking question UPSOUND (English) "But if he urges Europeans to leave Afghanistan? I mean, they're trying to undermine the coalition, I presume?"
5. SOUNDBITE: (English) Sean McCormack, State Department spokesperson:
"Again, not a new tactic. But I think our NATO allies understand quite clearly what is at stake in Afghanistan as well as elsewhere around the world in fighting the war on terror. Afghanistan has made great strides since the era of the Taliban. Just one example is that there are tens of thousands of young Afghan children who are alive today just because of the kinds of medical care and vaccination care that has been provided by the international community, who wouldn't have been alive today otherwise. That's just one example. But it's going to require a lot more work. Afghanistan started from a pretty low place in terms of development, so there's a lot more work to be done. A lot has been done; a lot more work needs to be done. And it's going to require a sustained commitment over a period of time. And we have seen that kind of commitment from our European allies. We've seen that, certainly we have seen that commitment from the United States as well as others around the globe. And I've seen no diminution in that level of commitment."
6. Reporter asking question
STORYLINE:
A new tape recording purportedly containing the voice of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden called on the Europeans to stop helping the United States in the war in Afghanistan.
In an excerpt aired on Thursday on Al-Jazeera television, the speaker also claimed to be the "only one responsible" for the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.
Al-Jazeera aired two brief portions of a few seconds each of the audiotape, titled "Message to the European Peoples," which al-Qaida had announced several days ago that it would release soon.
The rest of the message - the fourth by the al-Qaida leader this year - was not known.
US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack brushed off the purported bin Laden remarks, saying the comments are "not a new tactic."
McCormack told a news conference in Washington that neither the US nor its European allies will reduce its commitment in Afghanistan.
"I think our NATO allies understand quite clearly what is at stake in Afghanistan as well as elsewhere around the world in fighting the war on terror," he said.
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