Chris,
Agreed, but it is worth noting that the hostage takers of the Austrians in Tunisia also initially demanded the release of prisoners held in Algeria & Tunisia, as per the attached BBC link.
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Chancellor urges hostage release
Whilst every case is clearly separate, a consistent theme seems to be arising. Kidnap a westerner, demand the release of militants from jail, accept this wont happen and then settle on a ransom in exchange for releasing the hostage.
Motoreiter - my point wasn't whether we should expect to be released by our governments paying a ransom, rather it was that the outright refusal by the British government to pay ransoms is not helpful, and removes a potential bargaining chip, which has successfully been used by several European governments in the past to obtain the release of their citizens.
Last edited by Matt Roach; 9 Jun 2009 at 21:01.
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