From: Berhane Habtemariam (Berhane.Habtemariam@gmx.de)
Date: Thu Apr 16 2009 - 07:42:18 EDT
Somalia: Announcement of Counter-Piracy Initiatives
Hillary Rodham Clinton
16 April 2009
_____
press release
Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced a
four-point plan to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia.
The plan includes:
+ Working with partners at an international Somali peacekeeping and
development meeting to help Somalia develop the capacity to police its
territory;
+ Developing an "expanded multinational response" to piracy;
+ Pressing Somalia's Transitional Federal Government and regional leaders in
Puntland to take action against pirates; and
+ Working with shipping and insurance comapanies to "address gaps in their
self-defense measures."
The full text of Clinton's announcement, made during a press availability
with Haitian Prime Minister Michele Duvivier Pierre-Louis on April 15,
follows:
SECRETARY CLINTON: But before I turn to the important issues that we
discussed today about Haiti, I'd like to take a moment to discuss an issue
that affects us all, and that is the scourge of piracy. The attempted
capture of the Maersk Alabama and the attack yesterday on the Liberty Sun
off the coast of Somalia are just the most recent reminders that we have to
act swiftly and decisively to combat this threat. These pirates are
criminals. They are armed gangs on the sea. And those plotting attacks must
be stopped, and those who have carried them out must be brought to justice.
Last weekend, we were all inspired by the courage and heroism of Captain
Phillips and his crew, and by the bravery and skill of the U.S. Navy. These
men are examples of the best that America has to offer. And I salute and
thank them. But now it falls to us to ensure that others are not put into a
similar situation. As I said last week, we may be dealing with a 17th
century crime, but we need to bring 21st century solutions to bear.
I want to commend the work that this Department's anti-piracy task force has
already done, along with their counterparts throughout our government. In
the past several months, we have seen the passage of a robust United Nations
Security Council resolution, a multinational naval deployment, improved
judicial cooperation with maritime states and an American-led creation of a
30-plus member International Contact Group to coordinate our efforts.
But we all know more must be done. The State Department is actively engaged
with the White House and other agencies in pursuing counter-piracy efforts,
both unilaterally and in concert with the international community. This
Friday, a steering group that includes State, the Department of Defense, the
Department of Justice, the Department of Transportation, the Department of
Homeland Security, and the intelligence community, will meet to consider
recent events and potential responses.
This week, the State Department is taking four immediate steps as we move
forward with a broader counter-piracy strategy. But let me underscore this
point: The United States does not make concessions or ransom payments to
pirates. What we will do is first send an envoy to attend the international
Somali peacekeeping and development meeting scheduled in Brussels. The
solution to Somali piracy includes improved Somali capacity to police their
own territory. Our envoy will work with other partners to help the Somalis
assist us in cracking down on pirate bases and in decreasing incentives for
young Somali men to engage in piracy.
Second, I'm calling for immediate meetings with our partners in the
International Contact Group on Piracy to develop an expanded multinational
response. The response that came to our original request through the Contact
Group for nations to contribute naval vessels has turned out to be very
successful. But now we need better coordination. This is a huge expanse of
ocean, four times the size of Texas, so we have to be able to work together
to avoid the pirates. We also need to secure the release of ships currently
being held and their crews, and explore tracking and freezing pirate assets.
Third, I've tasked a diplomatic team to engage with Somali Government
officials from the Transitional Federal Government as well as regional
leaders in Puntland. We will press these leaders to take action against
pirates operating from bases within their territories.
And fourth, because it is clear that defending against piracy must be the
joint responsibility of governments and the shipping industry, I have
directed our team to work with shippers and the insurance industry to
address gaps in their self-defense measures. So we will be working on these
actions as well as continuing to develop a long-term strategy to restore
maritime security to the Horn of Africa.
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