MADRID, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish government is going to pay 5 million U.S. dollars to an African branch of al-Qaida for the release of three nationals kidnapped in Mauritania, a Spanish daily reported Sunday.
The three hostages may be released soon after the payment, said El Mundo newspaper.
The Spanish government reached an agreement with al-Qaida in the Islamic Magreb (AQIM) at the end of January with the mediation of Malian authorities, said the paper.
Three Spanish citizens -- Alicia Gamez, Roque Pascual and Alberto Vilalta -- were taken hostage by AQIM on Nov. 29, 2009.
At the beginning, AQIM was demanding the release of Islamic militants in Spanish prison in exchange for the three Spanish citizens.
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Spanish PM calls for stepped-up efforts against piracy, terrorism
MADRID, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Sunday called for intensified international efforts against piracy and terrorism.
Zapatero, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, made the appeal while speaking at a summit meeting of the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a guest of honor, Spanish media reported.Full story
Spanish ambassador in Mauritania silent over hostage whereabouts
DAKAR, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- The Spanish ambassador to Nouakchott, Alonso Descuellar Mazarido, has refused to comment on the whereabouts of the three Spanish hostages taken on Sunday in Mauritania by armed men between Nouakchott and Nouadhibou, African News Agency reported on Wednesday.
"It's only the Mauritanian authorities that can comment on this issue," Mazarido told a press briefing on Tuesday evening in the capital Nouakchott. Full story
Four Spanish nationals kidnapped in N Mauritania
DAKAR, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- Four Spanish nationals working for an NGO were taken hostage on Sunday evening some 150 km north of Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, the African News Agency reported.
It is the first time that Spanish nationals have been abducted in Mauritania. Full story
