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| Europe |
| Italy will stop paying ransom |
| 2005-03-13 |
| 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 |
| #8 Little late to make that decision, iddnit, Italy? Good luck enforcing it. And if sometime in the future we can find proof the money you paid helped get innocent Iraqis murdered by the terrorists your little fellow traveler insisted you pay off, I hope their relatives sue your pants off. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-03-13 10:21:41 PM |
| #7 Chicago Rules? Define, please. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-13 9:39:39 PM |
| #6 Too late for Chicago Rules now, turkeys. Look forward to paying more and more. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2005-03-13 6:41:27 PM |
| #5 You can bet your ass that money from soros AND the tides foundation, "finds it's way", into terrorist hands, (in one form or another). |
| Posted by: Tom Dooley 2005-03-13 5:02:46 PM |
| #4 LGF is reporting the Italians were swerving (!) thru the concrete barriers at the checkpoint when the soldiers started firing... |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-03-13 4:35:32 PM |
| #3 âThe Italian team should have known what to expect, but it appears they didnât realise how sophisticated the American military are,â said Selva. Think we'll ever see that sentence again, in any context, in our lives? |
| Posted by: jules 2 2005-03-13 4:21:12 PM |
| #2 And if the op hadn't gone bad, they would continue to pay ransom? With allies like these... |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2005-03-13 2:41:46 PM |
| #1 Unfortunately, now that they started paying, it'll make it tougher on the next few who are snatched. Pay me now, or pay me later.... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-03-13 2:39:56 PM |