(RTTNews) - Spain on Friday refused to release two captured Somali pirates in exchange for three Spanish nationals seized by pirates from a fishing trawler off Somalia last month, stressing that it will not negotiate with the pirates.

Spain's Deputy Defense Minister Constantino Mendez said Friday that the "situation" was non-negotiable. Mendez, however, said that his government might consider transferring the two captured pirates to another jurisdiction, instead of releasing them.

"One can discuss issues of jurisdiction at length. They have many angles and the law is not mathematics," Mendez said. He also hinted at the possibility of launching a military operation to free the crew of the hijacked vessel.

Mendez's remarks came after the pirates holding a Spanish fishing boat and its crew off the Somali coast threatened to kill three Spanish crew-members if the two pirate suspects held in Spain were not returned immediately.

Pirates had hijacked the fishing vessel, the Alakrana, in international waters off Somalia on 2nd October and are currently holding the fishing boat's 36 crew-members hostage. While 16 of the hijacked ship's crew are from Spain, the remaining are from Africa and Asia.
The hijacked Alakrana is presently anchored off the Somali port town of Harardere, and the Spanish government confirmed Thursday that the pirates have moved three of the fishing boat's 36 crew members to land.

The two pirates, who are currently being held in Spain, were seized by a Spanish frigate when they were leaving the hijacked Alakrana. Since their capture, a Spanish judge has charged the two Somalis with illegal detention, criminal association and armed robbery.

The Somali coast has been affected by piracy in the recent years. More than a hundred pirate attacks have been reported in the waters off Somalia since the beginning of 2008. Generally, the crew and the vessels are returned unharmed on receiving the demanded ransom.

The pirate attacks off the Somali coast have continued despite the presence of some 20 warships, deployed by navies of the NATO, the European Union, Russia, China, South Korea and India, in the region to protect cargo and cruise ships against piracy in the region.

In addition, the UN Security Council has approved four resolutions since June to promote international efforts to fight the escalating piracy problem off the coast of Somalia, and has authorized countries engaged in anti-piracy operations off the Somali coast to conduct land and air attacks on Somali pirates after obtaining prior permission from the Somali government.

by RTT Staff Writer

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