Ransom clouds Italians146; release

But the chairman of parliament8217;s foreign affairs committee said Italy probably paid a ransom of around 1 million: 8216;8216;The lives of the girls was the most important thing,8217;8217; said Gustavo Selva, a member of Berlusconi8217;s centre-right coalition.

8216;8216;In principle, we shouldn8217;t give in to blackmail but this time we had to, although it8217;s a dangerous path to take because, obviously, it could encourage others to take hostages, either for political reasons or for criminal reasons.8217;8217; Asked if the ransom had been 1 million, Selva said: 8216;8216;I think we paid in the end. The sum is probably correct.8217;8217;