The north African branch of al Qaeda is demanding seven million dollars and the release of several of its members in return for three Spanish hostages held in Mali, a report said Thursday. According to the El Mundo newspaper, the Spanish government was aware of the demands and the Mali President Amadou Toumani Toure was playing "fundamental role in negotiations."
However, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos told AFP he would not comment on the report. The Spanish aid volunteers, two men and a woman, were kidnapped on November 29 in Mauritania when they were in the last vehicle of a convoy carrying supplies for west African associations.