Ten Italian sailors whose tug was seized by Somali pirates four months ago in the Gulf of Aden have been released after the pirates abandoned the ship, Italian authorities said Monday.
Foreign Minister Franco Frattini told Sky-TV24 that the Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke notified him directly of the release in a phone call Sunday evening.
Italian and Somali authorities had been working together gathering intelligence and applying diplomacy to win the hostages' release, Frattini said.
"The authorities of Italy and those of Somalia made the pirates understand that the only solution was the liberation of the hostages," Frattini said on Sky-TV24.
The Foreign Ministry said no ransom was paid.
The Italian-flagged Buccaneer tug was seized April 11 in the pirate-infested Gulf of Aden.
A ministry statement did not mention six foreign nationals who were also on board when the tug was seized. They are five Romanians and one Croat.
The hostages were expected to return to Italy in several days.
Source: The Associated Press
No comments:
Post a Comment