Somali pirates denied negotiation by government

Thirty-six crewmembers of Basque fishing boat still being held hostage

By Dave Jamieson

Alakrana skipper's daughter Cristina Blach (foreground) outside the Audiencia Nacional on Tuesday after families met with the Hgh Court president (photo: EFE)

The government has repeated that it will not negotiate with the Somali pirates who have held hostage the 36-strong crew of a Basque fishing boat for more than a month.  The deputy defence minister, Constantino Mendez, reiterated the official stance after last week's calls from the families of those aboard the Alakrana for the two pirates arrested and presently being held in Spain to be freed in return for the release of the 36 hostages.

"The situation is not negotiable," the minister said, but added that "we shouldn't rule anything out."  His comment has led observers to think that a military operation to free the hostages could be planned.  The families, however, have urged that such a scenario be avoided.

On Thursday, three of the hostages were taken off the fishing boat by the pirates, following their threat to kill a number of the men if the two Somalis held in Spain are not returned home.  The following day, the foreign minister, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, announced that the three had been returned to the Alakrana but on Sunday the pirates denied they were back on board.  The minister said that diplomatic contact with Somalia had been redoubled and that liaison with the country's prime minister was "constant."

The pirates holding the Alakrana are demanding 2.6 million euros ransom plus the release of their two colleagues.  The crew being held includes 16 men from Spain, plus 20 from Indonesia, Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Senegal and the Seychelles.

Read more in the November 12 print edition of CDSN

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