"The process is still going on (to settle an agreement) of determining who to be contacted or if we could send persons there to accompany them and other things," the coordinating minister for political, security and legal affairs said at the presidential palace here on Tuesday.
Djoko said thorough negotiations were needed because the government wanted to assure the safety of all crew.
"A thorough process has to be done. It cannot be done carelessly," he said.
He said based on the experience from cases before it was only God that could really assure the safety of the hostages but the government and PT Samudra Indonesia, the company that owns the hijacked NV Sinar Kudus, would do as best as possible.
Djoko said the negotiations were carried out by the owner of the ship and the pirates. The government did not communicate with the pirates and only helped, he said.
He said the owner of the ship had already expressed its readiness to release the hostages. (*)
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
