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Spanish warship arrives to track hijacked fishing boat
Madrid (AFP) April 26, 2008 A Spanish warship has arrived in waters where pirates are holding a Basque-owned trawler and its 26-member crew, Spain's government said Saturday. "The frigate Mendez Nunez is in the area" where the fishing boat Playa de Bakio is situated, a government source said, without revealing its precise location. A Spanish surveillance plane has also been sent to the French military base in neighbouring Djibouti to carry out reconnaissance. The 76-metre-long (250-foot-long) Playa de Bakio with its crew of 13 Spaniards and 13 Africans was seized on April 20 while fishing for tuna off Somalia by pirates armed with grenade launchers. The source said the Spanish government has "no official contact" with the kidnappers, but did not rule out contacts between the pirates and the owners of the boat, who are from Spain's northern Basque region. The official in charge of agriculture in the Basque regional government, Gonzalo Saenz de Samaniego, told the newspaper ABC that negotiations with intermediaries for the kidnappers had begun. The newspaper said the two sides were discussing the amount of a ransom and how it would be paid. The newspaper El Pais said negotiations to end the hostage crisis were taking place in a "luxury hotel in London," quoting sources close to the talks. The Spanish government would not confirm the reports. Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said on Friday that the government was working "on all fronts" to bring about a swift conclusion to the crisis, with the "safety of the crew" its top priority. Related Links 21st Century Pirates
Three killed in French attack on Somali pirates: local officials
Mogadishu (AFP) April 11, 2008Three people were killed Friday during an operation against pirates by French armed forces in Somalia shortly after hostages on a luxury boat were freed, local officials told AFP. |
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