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The British newspaper The Times reports that France, Germany and Italy have paid tens of millions of dollars in ransom money to free their nationals held hostage in Iraq. The newspaper bases its claims on documents which reveal that the three countries paid between 2 and 8 million dollars per hostage.
Western diplomats who have read the documents are outraged. They believe paying ransom money only encourages terrorists to kidnap more foreigners. Since the invasion of Iraq, 250 foreigners have been kidnapped. Half of them have been released.
(rnw.nl)
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