Sarkozy: French yacht crew released by pirates
Friday, 11 Apr 2008 13:52
Thirty hostages held on a French yacht off Somalia's coast have been released
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Pirates have released the 30-member crew of a luxury French yacht hijacked a week ago off the coast of
Somalia, France's president Nicolas Sarkozy has said.
In a statement released today, Mr Sarkozy thanked the French military for their role in negotiating the release of the 30 hostages on board The Ponant who were taken hostage last Friday.
"The president expresses his deep gratitude to the French armed forces and all the state services which enabled a rapid and peaceful solution to this hostage-taking," the statement said.
French authorities initially made contact with the pirates on Sunday and sent troops to Djibouti, bordering Somalia, to reinforce the negotiations.
Twenty-two of the Ponant's crew were French and six were from the Philippines, the Associated Press agency has reported.
The waters around Somalia are believed to be some of the host hazardous in the world, with more than 25 shops being seized by pirates last year.
And since February the International Maritime Bureau has claimed that four vessels, including three tankers, had been seized.
In November 2007 France ordered its navy to escort two cargo ships through the waters as they delivered food to Somalia.