British Hostages "Not in Danger": Somali President

During a visit to London, Somali President Sharif Sheikh Ahmed said Tuesday that a British couple held hostage by pirates in his country were not in danger and insisted progress was being made on securing their release. Asked about when Paul and Rachel Chandler would be freed, the president said: "The government is actively working on a peaceful solution of this issue so the Chandlers can make out of this safely." The president said his administration was working to secure the couple's release at the earliest possible time as well as speaking to clans and sub-clans about them. The couple, who were seized when their yacht was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on October 23, have expressed their fear in video messages that they would be killed if a ransom is not paid. Rachel Chandler is also in poor mental and physical health, according to a doctor who was allowed to briefly examine the couple in captivity in January. Ahmed met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown Monday, when the British leader pressed him on his government's efforts to secure the Chandlers' release.