U.N. says Bin Laden "stingy" on tsunami relief

NEW YORK, Dec. 30 (Rooters) -- In a prepared speech today, U.N. Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland rapped terrorist kingpin Osama Bin Laden for his "stingy" response to the Indian Ocean tsunamis that killed close to 100,000 people earlier this week.

"It is beyond me why Bin Laden is so stingy, really," the Norwegian-born U.N. official told reporters. "The terrible impact of this disaster should remind the son of a wealthy Saudi businessman like Bin Laden of how many people need his help."

Egeland blamed U.S. President George W. Bush for Bin Laden's failure to provide more relief aid. "If Bush hadn't done so much damage to Al Qaeda in the past few years, Bin Laden would have the resources to really make a difference. Hopefully the world will now see just how misguided America's 'War on Terror' really is."

Egeland also lamented the recent passing of Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat, who he said "would certainly have donated large sums of money to the needy."