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| Africa Horn |
| Somali MP calls for more U.S., European help to tackle piracy |
| 2010-11-12 |
| (Xinhua) -- A Somali politician here on Thursday called for more American and European help to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden. The Somali government can not deal with the issue without outside help, and the United States and Europe have to engage more in the events occurring in the region that has became a global issue, said Mohamed Hussein Mohamed, Member of the Somali Parliament's Foreign Relation Committee. The Somali politician made the remarks at an international conference called "Maritime piracy and security of the maritime transport and their relation to the Bulgarian national security." Pirate attacks in 2009 have increased 10 times compared to 2008, Mohamed said. In 2010, a decline in piracy was observed thanks to international intervention, but it is not enough, the politician said. Kamen Kichev, Bulgarian Deputy Transport Minister, said that 44 Bulgarian sailors, including three captains, were affected in the region of the Gulf of Aden and the Somali coast. The two-day conference was organized by the Bulgarian Executive Agency Maritime Administration and several shipmasters, shipbrokers and logistics associations, and supported by the Transport Ministry. Representatives of the European Commission, Navy League of the United States, Confederation of European Shipmasters' Associations, the International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations, the Black Sea Region countries and insurance companies participated in the event. |
| Posted by:Fred |