Pirates urge Spain to free pair

Somali pirates holding a Spanish fishing boat and its crew hostage have said they will only negotiate their release if colleagues are freed.

On Monday, two Somalis suspected of involvement in seizing the boat arrived in Madrid to face piracy charges.

The Alakrana vessel was seized in early October in the Indian Ocean and taken to the Somali port town of Harardere, the hub of piracy in the region.

The two Somali men were captured by the Spanish navy after they left the boat.

"Our friends must be freed for us to begin discussing the fate of the boat and the hostages," one of the pirates, Abdi Mohammed, told Agence-France Presse.

The crew - including members from Spain, Ghana, Indonesia, Madagascar, Senegal and the Seychelles - are reported to be in good health.

The two men seized by the navy are due to appear before a Spanish court on Tuesday.

Many pirates have escaped prosecution because of doubts about the borders of jurisdiction. In May, a court in Spain surrendered a group of Somali pirates to Kenya after trying to bring them to Spain.

Last year, the crew of another Spanish boat was freed by pirates in the same area after a ransom of a reported $1.2m (£750,000) was paid, according to Somali officials.