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Anti-piracy war 'must be fought on two fronts'
(Sh.M.Network)-The war against Somali piracy must be fought on two fronts: battling the country's pirates, and feeding its people.That was the view of envoys from seven countries whose citizens have been held by  Somali pirates.The diplomats fromItalia, the Seychelles,Pakistain,Sri Lanka,Kenya,Tanzaniaand Thailand were in Abu Dhabi yesterday to discuss ways to end piracy. They broadly agreed the keys were military action, restoring law and order, and increasing aid. "Yes, we must get rid of the bases of pirates to avoid attacks but the international community cannot rely only on a military option," said Giorgio Starace, the Italian Ambassador to the UAE. "There must be economic and social change linked to Somalia's recovery. Aid is not only for times of emergency. We need more engagement." Somali pirates cost governments and the shipping industry up to US$6.9 billion (Dh25.35bn) last year, the advocacy group One Earth Future Foundation says. The diplomats mapped out a range of measures to cooperate against piracy. Pirate attacks and ransom demands are common offSomalia's coast because of its proximity to theGulf of Aden, a shipping route through which 20 per cent of world trade passes. This week, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... Naval Force conducted its first operation to destroy pirate equipment on the Somali coast, with the support of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. Until Tuesday, such operations were restricted to the waters offSomalia. During yesterday's conference inAbu Dhabi, the ambassadors said tracing the money trail to find out where ransom funds were channelled was imperative. "Somali pirates have become a destructive force because they have a safe haven," said Mohamed Gello, the Kenyan Ambassador. "They can attack ships and take these back toward the shore because the land is available to them. "You deny them that opportunity and that is the solution to stop them. The answers lie in maintaining military pressure to reduce piracy and speed up the process of stability." Mohamed Juma, the Tanzanian ambassador, said pirate attacks harmed tourism, with the number of luxury cruise ships falling from 20 vessels in 2006 to none last year. There have also been pirate attacks on oil rigs offTanzania, Mr Juma said. Tanzaniahas amended its laws to allow the prosecution on its soil of pirates captured in international waters. It is awaiting the UN's Security Council's sanction to launch a special court for prosecuting locked away Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! pirates. Law and order must be restored to Somalia, Mr Juma said. "The Somali youth for 20 years have known nothing more than disorder. The institution of government must be made strong," he said. Piracy also severely hit tourism and fishing in Seychelles, said Dick Esparon, that country's ambassador. There are now specially designated fishing zones patrolled by foreign security guards and Seychelles officers, he said. Hussein Mohamed, the charge d'affaires ofSomalia, said the average citizen there was hurt by food shortages and high prices. Mr Mohamed said the families of hostages should know "the Somali people and its government are against such unlawful and illegal acts, which endanger people's lives". Posted by: Fred 2012-05-19 |
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