Egypt requested to intervene to rescue Indian hostages
External affairs minister SM Krishna said he has expressed India's concerns over the rescue of Indian sailors taken hostage by Somali pirates, to Egypt.
The pirates had hijacked the Egyptian cargo liner M.V. Suez, off the Gulf of Aden in August 2010.
Speaking to the media in Delhi, Krishna said he has already spoken to the Eyptian Ambassador to India Khaled el Bakly on the issue, and has received positive feedback.
Krishna said: "I want Egypt to intervene and impress upon the ship owner that he should do whatever is necessary to get the Indian sailors rescued. They should be able to get back to India. I think the Ambassador has been very appreciative of India's concerns and I impressed upon him that these are all high priority issues for the Government of India."
"He (Egyptian Ambassador) appreciated it and said that he will talk to the ship owner or the managers of the shipping companies MV Suez and try to find a solution," he added.
Helpless relatives have been urging the government to initiate strong action for the safe return of the captive sailors.
On Friday (March 4), Krishna had ruled out the possibility of an armed encounter with the Somali pirates for the rescue of the abducted sailors and said that talks with the ship owners regarding the release of the hostages, were on.
Source: ANI
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