[Maghrebia] Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb on Thursday (December 31st) issued ransom demands for three Spanish humanitarian aid workers held hostage in Mali, local and international press reported. In exchange for the release of Roque Pascual, 50, Albert Vilalta, 35, and Alicia Gamez, 35, AQIM seeks 4.8 million euros. The group also wants Mauritania to release several jailed al-Qaeda members. According to Spanish daily El Mundo, Mali President Amadou Toumani Touré is playing "a fundamental role in the negotiations". Former Tuareg rebel and current Mali consul in Saudi Arabia, Iyad Ag Gali, is also working with tribal chiefs in Mali to secure the freedom of the Spaniards kidnapped in Mauritania on November 29th, a French hostage seized in Mali and an Italian couple abducted in Mauritania on December 18th.