Bin Laden Offers Gold for Killing Bremer, Annan

DUBAI (Reuters) - A recording described as the voice of Osama bin Laden, posted on the Internet on Thursday, offered bounties in gold to anyone who kills U.S Iraq administrator Paul Bremer or U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

The recording on an Islamist Web site said a prize of 10 kg (22 lb) in gold would also be given to anyone who killed other officials including Bremer's deputy and U.N. envoy to Iraq Lakhdar Brahimi. The reward would be worth around $125,000 at current gold prices.

The voice in the recording called for a jihad, or holy war, against the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, Iraq's U.S.-appointed Governing Council and whoever cooperates with them.

"We in al Qaeda organization are committed to a prize of 10,000 grams of gold to whoever kills Bremer, his deputy, the commander of American forces or his deputy in Iraq," said the voice.

The pro-al Qaeda site captioned the recording: "O people of Iraq! A message by Sheikh Osama bin Laden, may God protect him."

The voice sounded like the al Qaeda leader's, but its authenticity could not be immediately verified. The CIA (news - web sites) was studying the recording to decide on its authenticity, a CIA spokesman in Washington said.

It blasted the United Nations as a tool of "Crusaders" -- a reference to the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq -- and accused it of handing Palestinian lands to Zionists.

U.N. A TARGET

"Whoever kills Kofi Annan or the head of his delegation to Iraq or his representatives, such as Lakhdar Brahimi, will receive the same prize," said the voice, addressing the Iraqi people.

Brahimi is in Baghdad for talks on forming an interim Iraqi government before the U.S. handover of sovereignty at the end of June.

The voice offered a kilogram of gold to anyone who killed a soldier or civilian from countries which are "possessors of the veto such as the Americans or Britons."

The United States and Britain have veto powers as permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. The tape did not name the other three permanent members -- France, Russia and China.

The recording offered 500 grams of gold for the killing of nationals of U.S. allies, such as Japanese or Italians.

"Due to the security situation rewards will be handed over at the first possible opportunity," it said.

The United States has offered a reward of $25 million for information that would help it capture bin Laden, who it blames for the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.

The recording said jihad was a duty for all Muslims in Iraq as it was "clearly apparent that the American campaign has nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction or lifting the suffering of the Iraqi people... it is a blatant occupation."

"You should know that defending Muslim land, and especially the land of the two holy mosques (in Saudi Arabia), begins by fighting on the front lines in Iraq. Wake up you Muslims to the danger and rush to the battlefield of Jihad!

"Rush to fight the crusaders and Jews, you Muslim youth, and continue your support to rescue your brothers in Iraq." (Additional reporting by Samia Nakhoul in Dubai)

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