France rejects negotiating with Osama bin Laden on Niger hostages
November 20th, 2010 - 1:20 am ICT by BNO NewsPARIS (BNO NEWS) — French Foreign Minister Michele Alliot-Marie on Friday rejected the demand of negotiating with Osama bin Laden the release of hostages held in the northern region of Africa.
In an audio message, which was broadcast by Al Jazeera, Abdelmalek Droukdel, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) chief, said “any form of negotiations on [the hostage] issue in the future will be done with no-one other than our Sheikh Osama bin Laden and according to his terms.”
Droukdel, who is also known as Abdel Moussab Abdelwadoud, also demanded France “hasten and take [its] soldiers out of Afghanistan according to a specific timetable that you announce officially.”
Alliot-Marie said France was doing everything possible to liberate the hostages, who were abducted on September 16 during raids that targeted two French firms working uranium mines near Arlit in northern Niger.
The Foreign Minister was clear in saying, however, that “France cannot accept that its policy be dictated by anyone outside.”
The hostages include 5 French citizens, one Togolese, and one Madagascan. In July, AQIM said it had killed 78-year-old French hostage Michel Germaneau in Mali after a failed French-Mauritanian rescue operation, which killed six AQIM militants.
- Al Qaeda vows to kill more French in north Africa - Aug 02, 2010
- Al Qaeda kills French hostage - Jul 26, 2010
- French Foreign Secretary resigns over friendship with Tunisian dictator - Feb 28, 2011
- Sarkozy says no summer vacation for ministers - Jul 08, 2011
- Al-Qaeda claims kidnapping seven foreigners in Niger - Sep 22, 2010
- US citizen held in Spain for funding Al Qaeda - Sep 30, 2010
- French PM admits to New Year's holiday at Mubarak's cost - Feb 09, 2011
- Osama tape threatens to kill French hostages - Jan 21, 2011
- Al Qaeda releases video of French hostages - Apr 27, 2011
- Al- Qaeda acquiring weapons in Libya, may target passenger plane - Apr 05, 2011
- Terror on celluloid: Documentaries, movies tracking Osama - May 02, 2011
- French Parliament passes bill to ban wearing full veil in public spaces - Sep 15, 2010
- Paris airport evacuated over suspected explosive - Jan 25, 2011
- al-Qaeda leadership confirms Bin Laden is dead, says it will release audio recording - May 06, 2011
- Bin Laden says America 'will not dream of security' until Palestine has security - May 09, 2011
Tags: abducted, al jazeera, al qaeda, aqim, audio message, bno, french citizens, french firms, french foreign minister, french hostage, islamic maghreb, michele alliot marie, niger, osama bin laden, release of hostages, september 16, sheikh osama bin, timetable, togolese, uranium mines