Speaking at the NATO Summit gala dinner Thursday evening, British Prime Minister David Cameron reminded fellow world leaders of their commitment to oppose making ransom payments to terror groups made last year, calling it self-defeating and risky for the rest of their people back home.

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"All those people who signed these declarations know that what matters is not your signature on a declaration but not letting money be paid to terrorist kidnappers," said PM Cameron.

He explained that militant groups like the Islamic State (IS) use such payouts to buy arms and weapons. "It goes into terror plots, it goes into more kidnaps," he added.

The prime minister's forceful message came after confirming that Britain will not pay for the release of the David Cawthorne Haines, a British aid worker presently held captive by the Islamic State group. Nevertheless, PM Cameron hinted at his government's efforts to negotiate the release of the British worker-perhaps through intermediaries-without paying cash. 

Speaking ahead of Thursday's event, Cameron cited negotiations with terrorist groups as "deeply regrettable."

The British prime minister did not single out governments whose citizens have reportedly been freed from their terrorist captors, but he has previously condemned at least three EU countries that opted to pay for their citizens' release.

The Guardian quotes him saying that those countries that have made ransom payments have funded terrorist groups, including the Islamic State group, with "tens of millions of dollars that they can spend on kidnapping other hostages, on preparing terrorist plots, including against us here in the UK, and in buying arms and weapons to wreak havoc."

Two American journalists, James Foley and Steven Sotloff, were beheaded before a threat to Haines' life was declared by his jihadist captor Tuesday.

Haines was abducted last year in a refugee camp in Syria where some 30,000 refugees are camped. He was kidnapped with Italian aid worker, Federico Motka, with whom he had assisted Syrian refugees for Acted, a French aid organisation.

Motka was released in May, raising the question as to why the Islamic State group continues to hold the British captive.

TagsNATO, PM David Cameron, ransom, terrorists, David Cawthorned Haines, British aid worker