Austria to AQ: No negotiation with terrorists.

Well, knock me over with a feather...I thought for sure Austria was getting ready to pay up

Austria has called for the immediate release of two of its nationals seized in Tunisia by an Al Qaeda-linked group, insisting there will be no negotiation despite an ultimatum given by the kidnappers.

Chancellor Alfred Gusenbauer asked fellow European Union leaders for the help of their secret services in freeing the captives, abducted last month and now reportedly in Mali.

"We ask for the immediate and unconditional freeing of these hostages," he told reporters, arriving for talks with his EU counterparts in Brussels on Friday. "For us, the lives and the health of the two is of the utmost importance," he said, but added: "Austria is not negotiating with terrorists."

Our prayers continue for the safe and quick release of the hostages. (And the prolonged and painful death of their captors.)
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