New bin Laden tape coming, Web site says

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) -- Osama bin Laden will issue a videotaped message paying tribute to slain al-Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a message posted on an Islamic militant Web site said Wednesday.
The message did not say when the video would be posted or whether bin Laden himself would appear in it or speak in a voice-over. The al-Qaida leader has issued three audiotapes this year but has not appeared in a video since one issued Oct. 29, 2004.
A similar "advertisement" was issued for an al-Zarqawi tribute put out last week by bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri. That advertisement appeared on the Web a day before the video was posted Friday.
Glorifying al-Zarqawi
The videos appear to be part of an attempt by al-Qaida's central leadership to tout their connection to al-Zarqawi, who emerged as a hero among Islamic extremists with his dramatic attacks against Shiites and Westerners in Iraq.
The Jordanian-born al-Zarqawi, who was killed in a June 7 U.S. airstrike northeast of Baghdad, swore loyalty to bin Laden but is believed to have had sometimes rocky ties with al-Qaida's core leadership, based in the Afghan-Pakistani border region.
The ad for the bin Laden video was posted on a Web forum where militants often post messages. It was in the form of a blue banner signed by As-Sahab, the al-Qaida production branch chief.