Thread: The Times - French and Germans paid ransoms to hostage-takers.

Whereas the British use force to release British hostages held in Iraq - such as the time when the British Army flattened a jail with some tanks to release the Brits held inside - the more cowardly French, Germans and Italians PAY the hostage-takers money to release French, German and Italian prisoners
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France Denies Report It Paid for Hostages


Iraqi jail lies in ruins after the British flatten it to save British hostages.

PARIS (AP) -- The French government repeated Monday that it never paid for the release of its citizens held hostage in Iraq, denying a report in The Times of London that France, Germany and Italy paid millions of dollars in secret ransom.

"As French authorities indicated at the moment of the release of the hostages, there has been no payment of ransom," Foreign Ministry spokesman Jean-Baptiste Mattei told The Associated Press.

On its Web site, the British daily said documents held by the Iraqi security forces showed the three European countries paid $45 million for the release of nine hostages.

According to the report, Paris paid $15 million for the December 2004 release of journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot and another $10 million for the June 2005 release of journalist Florence Aubenas.

The government in Berlin has not given details of how the release was secured for the three Germans held hostage in Iraq.

Amid persistent speculation that ransom was paid, the head of the German Foreign Ministry crisis unit that handled the latest case said earlier this month that "the government does not let itself be blackmailed."

"It is our clear principle that the government rejects ransom payments," Reinhard Silberberg was quoted as telling the Leipziger Volkszeitung daily.

The Italian Foreign Ministry had no immediate comment on the Times report. However, the former Italian government of ex-Premier Silvio Berlusconi always denied strong speculation in Italy that money was paid to free Giuliana Sgrena and other Italian hostages in Iraq.

Critics complain that paying ransoms encourages gangs in Iraq to take foreigners hostage.

Of the more than 250 foreigners kidnapped since the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, at least 44 have been killed, 135 have been released, three hostages got away, and six were rescued. The fate of the others is still unknown.

hosted.ap.org . . .

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Once mighty fighting nations, the 3 big Continental countries are now just cowardly weaklings.