Italy-Taliban prisoner swap sent 'wrong signal'- US, UK, Netherlands

Italy-Taliban prisoner swap sent 'wrong signal'- US, UK, Netherlands

	Published : Thu, 22 Mar 2007 11:44 By : Agencies Print this Story

LONDON (AFX) - The US, Britain and the Netherlands have criticised a prisoner release deal made with the Taliban by Italy and Afghanistan to secure the release of an Italian journalist as sending the 'wrong signal' to hostage takers.

The US has complained to Italy over the exchange of several members of the Afghan militia for Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who was freed on Monday in southern Afghanistan, a US official in Washington said.

'The UK has serious concerns about the implications of releasing Taliban in return for hostages,' a spokeswoman for Britain's Foreign Office told AFP. 'This sends the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers.'

In Washington, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity, said the swap increased the risk of similar kidnappings of NATO and Afghan troops.

'It is US policy to use every appropriate resource to gain the safe return of hostages, but to make no concessions to individuals of groups holding those hostages,' the official said.

'In this case, these concessions caught the US by surprise,' she added.

Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen, on a visit to Kabul on Wednesday, said governments should not give in to hostage-takers.

'When we create a situation where you can buy the freedom of Taliban fighters when you catch a journalist, then in the short term there will be no journalists anymore,' he said.

In Rome, press reports said the Italian defence ministry also had concerns over the deal with the Taliban.

While Prime Minister Romano Prodi warmly thanked the humanitarian agency Emergency for its efforts in obtaining Mastrogiacomo's release, Defence Minister Arturo Parisi was angry, according to the daily Corriere della Sera.

The economic daily Il Sole-24 Ore said the defence minister feared the prisoner exchange may have set 'a dangerous precedent.'

The Afghan president's office has admitted that some Taliban prisoners were freed to gain Mastrogiacomo's freedom, without stating how many.

A Taliban commander told an Afghan news agency that five Taliban prisoners were released in the deal.

Mastrogiacomo was captured in the southern province of Helmand on March 4 with a translator and a driver. The journalist said his driver was beheaded in front of him.

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