companies -- like a shipping company -- to actually pay a ransom . There 's nothing that the U.S. government can do other than potentially to prosecute if that money is going to a known terrorist organization , which is a fine line . '' Nevertheless , he said it is U.S. government policy to discourage private companies from making payments to hostage takers . `` The U.S. has a very clear sense that , if you start to pay ransoms , you in essence create an industry for kidnapping , '' he said . `` And , frankly , it 's why you see an uptick in the piracy problem in East Africa . It 's a for-profit venture . It 's very lucrative at low cost for the pirates and it 's , in part , fueled by the fact that shipping companies in other countries have been paying ransoms for the release of ships , cargo and personnel . '' Zarate predicted the standoff off Somalia will not be resolved soon . `` I do n't see or forecast the use of massive force inadvertently because of the potential for hurting our citizen , '' he said
WASHINGTON -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Despite a hardline U.S. policy , there is no reason why federal officials ca n't negotiate directly with pirates who are holding a U.S. captain hostage off Somalia , a counterterrorism expert said Thursday . Pirates have been plaguing commercial shipping vessels in the waters off the coast of east Africa . Nor is there anything to stop an independent party from paying for his release , said Juan Carlos Zarate , who served as deputy national security adviser for combating terrorism under former President George W. Bush . `` The U.S. has a very clear policy of no concessions ; that 's different than no negotiations , '' said Zarate , now is a senior adviser to the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington . The U.S. policy against concessions translates into a policy against paying for the release of hostages , he said . `` That means no ransoms , nothing of value in return for the safe release of hostages , '' he said . But , he added , `` It 's also important to note that there 's nothing in U.S. policy that restricts family members or private