Paris/Mogadishu - The French government has deployed a unit of its elite GIGN anti-terrorism and hostage rescue force to Djibouti to prepare an assault if negotiations with Somali pirates holding the crew of a luxury yacht fail, a spokeswoman said Monday.

The ship is believed to be docked near the town of Eyl, south of the semi-autonomous region on Puntland, Somali officials said, but they had little information on the fate of the 22 French nationals and 10 Ukrainians on board.

The spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry on Monday confirmed the deployment of the elite unit known as GIGN and said, in an internet press conference, that they had been sent "to reinforce our on-site negotiation staff."

She added that the hostages were safe and being well treated. The ministry was in close contact with the owner of the ship and the family members of the hostages, the spokeswoman noted.

The unit was sent by Paris to Djibouti, a small East African country that is home to a multinational military task force which primarily hunts for terrorists in the region.

Late Sunday, Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in a radio interview that France had made contact with the pirates.

"We've made contact and the matter could last a long time," Kouchner told France Inter radio. "Our contact needs to be fruitful and we have to do everything to avoid bloodshed."

The 32 hostages were crew members of the luxury yacht, the Ponant, which was sailing from Somalia to the southern Yemeni port of Aden when armed pirates boarded it and took the entire crew hostage on Friday.

Kouchner did not rule out the payment of a ransom to secure the release of the crew. Local officials condemned the possible payment.

"The main problem is the owners of the vessels because they directly contact the pirates and give ransom. Then the practice becomes encouraged," said Yusuf Ahmed Baale, an elder from the region.

"They now have satellite phones, speedy vessels and are well equipped and trained," he said.

Mohamoud Dahir, a regional official, said he believed the pirates had armed backup forces near Eyl.

Maryse Gilbert, the mother of one of the hostages, told Europe 1 radio that she understood that Kouchner did not want to be specific about France's intentions.

"But as a mother I have problems supporting this," she said. "If we have to pay a ransom, then let's do it - and immediately."

Piracy off the Somali coast - which lies at the mouth of the Red Sea - has been rife since the country slid into chaos after dictator Mohammed Siad Barre was ousted by warlords in 1991.

Frequent pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden, a major trade route between Asia and Europe, has made those waters the world's most dangerous for pirate activities.

The International Maritime Bureau has advised vessels that are not making scheduled calls to ports in Somalia to keep a distance of 200 nautical miles away from the Somali coast.

The French navy escorts aid shipments to Somalia, which is undergoing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations. (dpa)