WARNING! VIDEO IS IN ARABIC, NO ENGLISH TRANSLATION!

Osama bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda leader, has accused Barack Obama, the US president, of following the policy of his predecessor George Bush in "antagonising Muslims".

In a tape broadcast by Al Jazeera shortly after Obama arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, bin Laden said the president had inflamed hatred toward the US by ordering Pakistan to crack down on fighters in the Swat Valley.

He said: "Obama and his administration have sowed new seeds of hatred against America.

"He has followed the steps of his predecessor in antagonising Muslims ... and laying the foundation for long wars."

Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, described bin Laden's claims about the fighting in Swat, which has led to the displacement of 2.4 million people, as "ludicrous".

Holbrooke, who is visiting Pakistan, said: "The idea that anyone is responsible for the refugee crisis other than al-Qaeda and the Taliban and the other people that have caused such tragedy in Pakistan is ludicrous.

"This entire problem began with al-Qaeda and its associates and everybody in the world knows that. It's silly indeed to respond to such a ludicrous charge.''