CAIRO — A leader of al-Qaida's North Africa branch on Thursday said that future negotiations over the fate of five French hostages snatched from an African mining town must be conducted with terror network leader Osama bin Laden himself.In an audio excerpt broadcast by the Al-Jazeera news channel, Abu Mossab Abdelouadoud said that to ensure the safety of the hostages, French troops must also withdraw from Afghanistan."Any negotiations must be done with Osama bin Laden and according to his conditions," said a voice described as that of Abdelouadoud, one of the group's top leaders.The French government had said previously it was willing to speak to the group's North African wing in order to find a solution to the crisis.