Germany, again setting itself in opposition to the United States, said today a new audio tape presumed to be of Osama bin Laden did not point to close links between the al Qaeda network and Iraq.
"From what is known so far we don't think we can conclude that there is evidence of an axis or close link between the regime in Baghdad and al Qaeda," German government spokesman Mr Thomas Steg told a news conference.
Earlier, German security sources said they believed it was bin Laden's voice on the audio tape, aired by Qatar's al-Jazeera television channel last night, which exhorted Muslims to fight the "allies of the devil".
US officials also said the tape was probably genuine, but said it did prove links between Iraq and bin Laden's al Qaeda network, blamed for the September 11th attacks.
The United States has been keen to establish an Iraq-al Qaeda link to bolster its case for possible war against Baghdad, which Germany, like France and Russia, opposes.
Berlin's comments on the tape are the country's latest statement highlighting the rift in opinion with Washington over the crisis in Iraq.
German Chancellor Mr Gerhard Schroeder has angered the United States by repeatedly declaring that Germany will not take part in any military action against Iraq and will not vote for war in the UN Security Council.
The tape denounced Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as an infidel but said it did not hurt that the interests of Muslims coincided with those of Iraq's secular government in "the war against the crusaders".
Bin Laden has often criticised Saddam, whose rule has been marked by purges of Islamists. Saddam said earlier this month he had no links with al Qaeda.
The tape praised suicide attacks as important in fighting for the Muslim cause, and warned that any Arab ruler who supported America or provided backing to the US-led war on Iraq would be "an apostate whose blood should be spilled".