Straw: We won't negotiate
2004-09-30 15:06
London - Britain won't pay a ransom or meet any political demands to secure the release of British hostage Kenneth Bigley in Iraq, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said on Thursday.
"Of course it's very difficult for the Bigley family," Straw told British Broadcasting Corporation TV, speaking of the government's refusal to negotiate with the hostage-takers.
But he added: "If we did not have this position there would be many, many more people who would be kidnapped, and the world would be less safe."
Bigley, an engineer, was kidnapped two weeks ago in Baghdad along with two American colleagues who have since been beheaded.
The militants claiming responsibility for Bigley's abduction have demanded the release of female Iraqi prisoners at American-controlled prisons - a move United States officials ruled out.
"We cannot negotiate... in the sense of negotiating about the payment of ransoms or meeting any political demands," Straw said. "That's always been the position of the British government and it always will be."
Italian officials have denied reports a ransom was paid to secure the release of two kidnapped Italian aid workers, saying only that their freedom had been secured after unspecified negotiations.
- AP