Imtiaz Sooliman – updates on Pierre Korkie

Dr Imtiaz Suleiman, from gift of the givers, is joining me on

Google Hangout to talk about Pierre Corki, a teacher from

Bloemfontein that is being held hostage in Yemen by al Qaeda. Dr

Suleyman, can you tell me what is the most up to date information

you have on Pierre's situation

as a moment, we've cooled down negotiations simply because we

need them to give them time to think, and we have nothing else to

offer if we meet them within the next 24 hours, the first question

they're going to ask us is, where's the ransom money? And you

know for a fact that we don't have $3 million and the moment we say

that to them, they're going to get a very annoyed and irritated, and

then they cut the extension by two weeks. It's very, very possible,

so we just keep it a friendly relationship. But actually, from

Saturday after today, we just haven't called them. They know

that the South African Deputy Minister has been in the country.

They know he has talked to the Prime Minister and other

government officials, so they probably assume that we're busy

with that, which suits a sign. Okay? And can you just expand a

little bit more on what the government has been doing to help

speed up this process? Well, you know, the government's viewpoint

is very clear. Our government and most governments around the world,

it's very clear that they don't negotiate with terrorists. And

secondly, they don't pay any ransom money, but they try to do

it through different not paying ransom money, but doing talks to

different matters manners, or trying to go to the media or some

kind of public announcement. Our government was informed of this

last year in May. At that point, when it happened, they did send a

team to fetch the two children. The two teenage children were left

behind in Yemen, and our government fetched them and

brought them home. But since then, till now, of course, they couldn't

do much, because they don't talk to terrorists. But the ambassador

from Saudi Arabia was to Mohammed Sadiq Jafar, who represents both

South Africa, in Saudi Arabia and Yemen, simply because we don't

have an embassy in Yemen, was in constant contact. What my office

in Yemen and Dr Suleiman, on that note, are you worried if we do

give the rant some money, this will encourage terrorists and

future to kidnap foreigners for money? Yes, that's a fear for from

a government point of view, and from a civilian population point

of view, anywhere in the world, you're afraid that once you pay a

ransom, they will be encouraged to take more hostages. But from a

family point of view, if your sister or your brother or your

child is kidnapped, those kind of things are not your concern, you

will do anything possible to take a family member out from a hostage

situation, irrespective of what implications may be. No human

being is that man going to say, Okay, I'm going to leave my father

there, because if I take him out, maybe they will capture some it's

silent. Let him kill him. Nobody's ever going to say that. So you've

mentioned that the negotiations are in a cooling down period at

the moment. Can you take me through what the negotiations are

like on the ground? It's very complicated, because you never,

you can. You can never be sure of the adversary. On the one hand,

they very nice and friendly. What happened in the first week, unless

my office representative was invited for breakfast with al

Qaeda? Can you imagine that took them to the he went to the house.

He was eating. He was eating with them because their trust and faith

in him. The first four days, I told him, honest, your only job

now is to build a trust and relationship with them, because

they don't trust you. Everything else that we do is going to be

meaningless, and in the process, they may kill you also. So you

have to build trust and faith. Thereafter, they took him in their

cars. They even knew where he stayed. He made it very clear

where he was staying there. It was very transparent and very open,

showing that we had no hidden agenda. We didn't come with any

other purpose except to release Yolandi, and that's what he wanted

to speak to them about. The other strange thing is, which I don't

expect anywhere else for this to happen. He took pictures of all

our projects that we are doing in Yemen, you took project folders.

And can you imagine that again, al Qaeda guys sitting at the table,

looking at all these projects pictures, and analyzing all the

work that is done in Yemen. And on that basis, I guess, okay, you

guys have done a lot of stuff here, maybe we can consider giving

Yolanda to you for free. And then on Friday morning, when you get to

fetch Yolandi, there's a whole change of mood again. We promise

you Yolandi, you can have her for free, but you got eight days. We

need three. We need $3 million or, you know what we're capable of, a

complete change in the tone, in the attitude and very menacing.

And then the guy who helps Yolandi over tells the other guy, tell

Yolandi what we are saying. So when he starts speaking, annus

tells the guy, please don't say that. You know what? It's too

harsh. Let me explain it to her more gently. She's not in a right

frame of mind to listen to this. He says, No, it has to be said

right now, the way we saying it.

It so as they say it, Anas changes the words around it doesn't say

the words they are saying. It translates to something completely

different. The guy looks him in the eye and tells him, you didn't

say what I said. So I asked others, does this guy speak

English? Says Not a word. So I said, and how does it know that

you change the words around you say it must be my body language,

or in something he must have perceived in the way I was saying

it. So then under says the words correctly, and what are the words

you've got eight days. We want $3 million otherwise, next week,

Sunday, peer head in a box. To you. Well, they seem very

unpredictable. I know you yourself have spoken with them on the

phone? Have they shown this demeanor to you as well? The guy

was totally emotionless. The guy that spoke on the phone. When I

spoke to him, I grilled him on religious grounds, saying that

what you're doing is incorrect. Can you answer me? And I took him

step by step. He just answered. But no emotion, whatever. I told

him. I