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Italy will stop paying ransom
The Sunday Times - World March 13, 2005 Italy to stop paying ransoms John Follain, Rome THE Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, has promised President George W Bush that he will not pay more ransoms to free hostages in Iraq. The Italian government has denied newspaper reports that $6m (£3.1m) was paid for the release of Giuliana Sgrena [perhaps it it was actually $5,999,999] , who worked for the Communist daily Il Manifesto. But senior officials and intelligence sources have confirmed that money did change hands. The affair ended when American soldiers opened fire on the car carrying Sgrena and killed the intelligence officer who had freed her. Last year Italy paid a reported $5m (£2.6m) for the freedom of two aid workers, Simona Pari and Simona Torretta. Hours after Sgrena was seized, Berlusconi announced that "negotiations" had begun. The reports of ransom payments have infuriated American officials, who say they fund violence and encourage more kidnappings [and this is disputed by whom exactly]. Mel Sembler, the American ambassador in Rome, told Berlusconi last week that the money bankrolled "the war being waged by Sunnis [almost certainly he said Sunni Terrorists rathar than Sunnis]in Iraq". IMO, this may also reduce the number of other ransoms being paid. If so, it cuts off one of the sources of funding for the terrorists. Alas, they have other sources of funding (from Saudis, etc. -- I've always wondered if some of the funds from Soros or the Tides Foundation have, 2 or 3 times removed, found their way to the terrorists) Posted by: mhw 2005-03-13 |
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