Mauritania vows no negotiations with Al-Qaeda

Mauritania remains at the center of finding the solution to the kidnappings of five Europeans — three Spanish humanitarian workers and an Italian couple, who were kidnapped in November and December in the African country by members of North African wing of Al-Qaeda (AQMI). These hostages have become the bargaining instruments of AQMI, which managed to let go four terrorists detained in Mali recently in exchange for the release of a French hostage Pierre Camatte. The group is now demanding the release of four more terrorists in a Nouakchott prison in exchange for the five Europeans.

AQMI threatened to execute the Italian hostages if Mauritania does not release their members before March 1. This ultimatum has expired. Nouakchott remains firm on its position resisting any form of pressure.On Thursday, Mauritanian Prime Minister Moulay Ould Mohamed Laghdhaf reiterated the refusal of his government to negotiate with the Al-Qaeda terrorist groups, saying the country would never accept a swap of prisoners and hostages in their possession, or make any gesture to show that they have bowed down to pressure from terrorist groups. “There will be no negotiations with terrorist groups and there will be no exchange of any one with whoever was kidnapped,” the premier declared. Meanwhile, Laghdhaf pledged that Mauritania “is doing all within its powers to ensure that the hostages held on our country’s territory can get back their freedom and that they are able to return to their country.” Mauritania, which vows to remain faithful to a common stand by regional countries in the fight against terrorism and not fall prey to the blackmail of terrorists, condemned Mali’s release of four terrorists in exchange for Camatte. In protest of the swap, Nouakchott recalled its ambassador from Bamako. “It’s true that we responded in a diplomatic way to this act which we considered to be unfriendly, but for other things, nothing has changed,” Laghdhaf explained. Malian Foreign Minister Moctar Ouane, on his part, played down the differences between the two neighboring countries. “The Malian government remains strongly attached to the secular and friendly relations and also good neighborliness in particular with the People’s Republic of Algeria and the Islamic Republic of Mauritania,” Ouane said in reference to the recall of ambassadors by both countries. It’s clear according to the observers that with good coordination between the sub-regional states and the support of Europeans, a better strategy in the fight against terrorism will be developed. One of the goals is to cut off the logistical chain of terrorists who collude with the traffickers of drugs and arms, as in a recent case where some drug traffickers working together with terrorists were arrested. For the moment, the crackdown is limited by the fact that the European governments are being held hostage by the public opinion of their citizens, who are calling for saving the lives of those in the hands of kidnappers.

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