Statements made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson (Paris, April 9, 2008)

 Q - Can you confirm that the GIGN group [Gendarmerie commando unit] sent to Djibouti is now deployed on a French ship ready to make an arrest or assault at sea after the hijacking of a French three-masted yacht by pirates off the coast of Somalia?

As I told you on April 7, the GIGN has been sent to Djibouti to support the negotiation. Our priority remains the security of the hostages. This is what President Sarkozy told the families yesterday when he met with them.

Q - Can you confirm that the Ministry’s crisis unit is predicting that it will take one or two months of negotiations with the pirates in Somalia to obtain the release of the Ponant’s crew?

It is impossible to predict how long this type of crisis will last. We hope the hostages will be released as soon as possible. All our efforts are directed to this end, and we tell the families this in our daily contacts with them.