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WASHINGTON (Nov. 13) - U.S. counterterrorism officials believe a new audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden is probably authentic and are treating it as evidence the long-absent terrorist leader is still alive, a U.S. official familiar with the tape said Wednesday.

President Bush said he was taking the tape ''very seriously,'' though he was awaiting official word from advisers on its authenticity.

''Whoever put the tape out has put the world on notice yet again that we're at war,'' the president told reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

The president bristled when asked if bin Laden should have been captured sooner by U.S. and coalition forces. ''We're making great progress in the war on terror. Slowly, but surely we are dismantling the terrorist network,'' he said.

''Slowly but surely,'' the president said again, ''we're achieving our objectives.''

Technical analysis thus far by the CIA and National Security Agency shows bin Laden likely recording the tape, but officials said the full analysis to match bin Laden's voice to previous recordings of him continues.

''Assuming it is in fact authentic, it is an effort to boost morale among the rank and file,'' one U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. ''It is an effort to show members of al-Qaida that top leadership is still around. It could also signal future attacks.''

There was no change by midday Wednesday in the national threat alert status, which remains at code yellow - the midway point on a scale of five threat levels.

In the audiotape, aired Tuesday on Al-Jazeera, an Arabic television network, the speaker refers to recent terrorist strikes U.S. officials believe are connected to bin Laden's al-Qaida network. If verified, it would provide the first evidence in a year that bin Laden survived U.S. bombing in Afghanistan.

''I think there's a message here,'' Sen. Richard Shelby said on CBS' ''The Early Show.'' The Alabama Republican said, ''The message is, we better be looking closely now for more terrorist attacks.''

Bush earlier Wednesday told congressional leaders the audiotape was ''timely,'' suggesting that bin Laden is alive, said House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Though bin Laden tops the Pentagon's wanted list in the war on terror, officials there tried to play down the tape's importance, saying it won't change how they operate.

''We've always said that if bin Laden were dead today it would not change what we do, likewise if he is alive it does not change what we do because our goal is to find and destroy terrorists and their network,'' said Lt. Col. Dave Lapan, a Defense Department spokesman.

But other officials acknowledged that military and intelligence officials are eager to find out where the tape came from. They hope backtracking the tape's trail will lead to new information about bin Laden's whereabouts, two defense officials said.

Bush himself said: ''The contents of the tape ... should remind all of Americans and remind our friends and allies that there is an active enemy that continues to hate, is willing to use murder as a way to achieve their goals,'' he said.

The audiotape was played alongside an old photograph of the al-Qaida leader, but there was no new video of him. Al-Jazeera said it received the tape on the day it was broadcast.

Officials believe bin Laden would release an audio recording, instead of a video, because they are easier to make and limit his public exposure, the U.S. official said. An audio tape also hides an appearance of illness, and anything bin Laden might have done to disguise himself in the last year.

Military officials, who have led the yearlong hunt for the al-Qaida chief in Afghanistan and elsewhere, said they view the tape as the first independent proof in nearly a year that bin Laden is alive.

Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld has said repeatedly over recent months that there was no conclusive proof that bin Laden was dead, as well as no conclusive proof he was alive.

''This indicates he is alive,'' one official said Wednesday.

The speaker on the tape also threatened new terrorism against the United States and its allies, and he castigated U.S. policy toward Iraq.

Confirmation that bin Laden is alive could pose problems for Bush, underscoring to an anxious public that the war on terrorism is far from over.

The tape is addressed to ''peoples of the countries allied with the tyrannical U.S. government'' and specifically mentions Britain, France, Italy, Canada, Germany, Australia and Israel, according to a U.S. government translation provided to The Associated Press.

''What business do your governments have to ally themselves with the gang of criminality in the White House against Muslims? Don't your governments know that the White House gang is the biggest serial killers in this age?'' the speaker says.

Recent statements from al-Qaida leaders have led U.S. and European leaders to warn of possible new attacks, particularly against railroads and oil and gas interests. A law enforcement official said Tuesday that ''chatter'' among suspected terrorists has reached the level seen before the Sept. 11 attacks.

The last hard evidence bin Laden was alive surfaced late last year. A videotape recovered by U.S. forces in Afghanistan showed him having dinner with some of his deputies on Nov. 9, 2001.

Late in December, another tape of bin Laden giving a statement aired. He appeared gaunt and possibly wounded. The references in the tape suggested it was filmed in late November or early December, but officials could not be certain.

AP-NY-11-13-02 1419EST

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