UN chief urges 'hostages rules'

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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said the UN should discuss common guidelines to deal with hostage crises.

His comments came ahead of a meeting with Italy's Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema, who last week said such rules should be discussed by Nato and the UN.

It follows the release of Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo, who was freed in a prisoner swap with the Taleban in Afghanistan a month ago.

The Taleban beheaded the journalist's two Afghan colleagues.

Mr Ban declined to say whether he agreed with the release of the five Taleban in return for Mr Mastrogiacomo.

"It's not up to me to say if what was done was right or wrong," he was quoted as saying in the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

"To address the issue of kidnappings, common rules are needed, and the UN is the right place to put them forward. I invite all states, including Italy, to present such proposals to the General Assembly."

'Codes of behaviour'

Last week, Mr D'Alema called for international guidelines to be discussed when he went before parliament to defend Italy's handling of the Afghan hostage crisis.

"I think the time has come to look at the possibility of establishing guidelines shared at the international level, common codes of behaviour," he said.

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has been criticised for the way his government negotiated the release of Italians kidnapped in Afghanistan.

It is alleged that last year the Italian government paid $2m to the group for the release of another Italian, a photographer.

Mr Prodi has not denied the claims, but rejected opposition criticism.

Critics of such deals say they created a dangerous precedent, putting all international journalists and aid workers in Afghanistan at risk.