Monday, April 14, 2008
French special forces swooped on the pirates last week in Somali territory shortly after they had released their 30 hostages -- who included 22 French -- and picked up a ransom estimated at $2 million.
The six bandits are being held on a French boat pending a decision on where to try them.
"We still aren't very sure about the agreement of Somalia... The Somali president is in London and says he will respond to us after consulting his side," Kouchner told reporters.
"So for the moment, the pirates are aboard a French ship, but it is not sailing to France."
French officials said last week they had the right to try the pirates, believed to be Somali fishermen, in France but some experts have questioned the legality of such a trial.
Around a dozen pirates attacked the luxury French yacht on April 4 some 850-km off the Somali coast. They then sailed the boat and its crew to Somalia and tried to flee inland after collecting the ransom.
French helicopters pursued one of their getaway cars and captured all six aboard as well as some of the ransom. (Reporting by Thierry Leveque and Brian Rohan; Editing by Michael Winfrey)
Source: Reuters, April 14, 2008