New al-Qaeda videotape broadcast

Zawahri has previously warned the US of interfering in the Middle East

The deputy leader of al-Qaeda has appeared in a new videotape and warned Muslim nations against adopting the "US concept of reform".

Ayman al-Zawahri said, in the tape shown on al-Jazeera TV, that any change should be based on Islamic law.

He also warned against the possibility of trying to bring about change through peaceful demonstrations.

This is the first tape he has appeared in since one aired by the Arab satellite news channel in February.

"Expelling the invading crusader forces and Jews from our Muslim homes cannot be realised solely through demonstrations and speaking out in the streets," he says on the tape.

"Reform and expelling the invaders from Muslim countries cannot be accomplished except by fighting for the sake of God."

Wanted men

Al-Jazeera said Egyptian-born Zawahri condemned the assaults on women protesters during demonstrations in Egypt last month.

He also criticised the Pakistani, Saudi and Egyptian governments for their pro-Western stance.

Zawahri appears wearing a white turban with a machine gun beside him, in a similar pose to previous videotapes.

In February, he warned the West to show respect for the Islamic world and denounced US President Bush's calls for reform in the Middle East.

Despite a massive US-led hunt since 11 September 2001, Zawahri and al-Qaeda's leader Osama bin Laden have so far managed to evade capture.

They are believed to be hiding in the rugged border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan.