Pirates defy U.S. navy off Somalia, French free yacht | Reuters

Pirates defy U.S. navy off Somalia, French free yacht | Reuters: "MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Pirates on Friday sailed a hijacked German freighter and its crew toward a lifeboat off Somalia where an American hostage was being held in an attempt to help their comrades in a standoff with the U.S. Navy.

In a day of drama on the high seas off East Africa, French special forces stormed and freed a yacht held by pirates in a military assault in which one hostage was killed and four others were freed.

A pirate source said the four pirates holding the American captain of a cargo ship, Richard Phillips, in a drifting lifeboat under the gaze of a U.S. warship were demanding $2 million for his release and a guarantee of their own safety."

Well at least the United States Government learned back in the 60's that it could not negotiate with terrorists. Then again there are thoes who are IDIOTS!

see http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/04/09/pirates.ransom/index.html

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Despite a hardline U.S. policy, there is no reason why federal officials can't negotiate directly with pirates who are holding a U.S. captain hostage off Somalia, a counterterrorism expert said Thursday.

Pirates have been plaguing commercial shipping vessels in the waters off the coast of east Africa.

Nor is there anything to stop an independent party from paying for his release, said Juan Carlos Zarate, who served as deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism under former President George W. Bush.

"The U.S. has a very clear policy of no concessions; that's different than no negotiations," said Zarate, now is a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

The U.S. policy against concessions translates into a policy against paying for the release of hostages, he said.

"That means no ransoms, nothing of value in return for the safe release of hostages," he said.

But, he added, "It's also important to note that there's nothing in U.S. policy that restricts family members or private companies -- like a shipping company -- to actually pay a ransom. There's nothing that the U.S. government can do other than potentially to prosecute if that money is going to a known terrorist organization, which is a fine line."