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Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
June
11, 2010
The
Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia met at United Nations
Headquarters in New York on June 10, 2010, and agreed upon the following
statement.
Begin
Text:
The
Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) held its sixth
meeting in New York on June 10, 2010, under the Chairmanship of Greece.
The CGPCS
notes with concern that piracy off the coast of Somalia continues to
pose a serious threat to international navigation, as its main theatre
of operations has expanded from the Gulf of Aden to areas of the Indian
Ocean. Over the course of recent months, in the massive maritime
environment of the Indian Ocean, Somali pirates attempted several
attacks against commercial vessels, a fact indicating their capacity to
seize ships regardless of their size, as reflected in the cases of the
Greek oil tanker “MARAN CENTAURUS” the Liberian flagged and Russian
operated tanker “MOSCOW UNIVERSITY” and the Marshall Islands flagged and
ROK operated tanker “SAMHO DREAM”. It is therefore a matter of paramount
importance to continue to enhance international cooperation in finding
ways and means to address piracy attacks in an effective manner.
Participants of the CGPCS also agree that a viable solution for ending
piracy will not be achieved without the root causes on land being
addressed effectively. From this point of view there is a strong need
for well-coordinated efforts in the field of regional capacity-building
by all international players involved, in close cooperation with the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and regional authorities.
From this point of view the CGPCS notes the statement made by the
representative of Somalia and mainly his suggestions on possible actions
which could be taken to address piracy.
Bearing in
mind that prosecution of suspected pirates is an essential part of a
comprehensive counter-piracy strategy, the CGPCS welcomes Security
Council Resolution 1918 (2010) which requests the UN Secretary-General
to produce a report on the possible mechanisms to address the issue of
imprisonment and prosecution of pirates, including options for creating
special domestic chambers, a regional tribunal or an international
tribunal.
The CGPCS
also welcomes the decision by the Trust Fund Board to approve the first
seven projects to support initiatives aiming at countering piracy off
the Coast of Somalia. Six of these are associated with prosecution, the
strengthening of institutions in Seychelles, Kenya and the regions of
Somaliland and Puntland. The CGPCS also welcomed the establishment of
project team to implement IMO Trust Fund. Of equal importance, is the
strategic communications project seeking to help local partners to
disseminate anti-piracy messages within Somalia. Recognizing that the
initial contributions to the Fund have been spent to a large extent, the
CGPCS wishes to stress the need for additional donations and calls upon
all participants, as well as on the shipping industry, to consider
contributing donations to the Trust Fund.
On the
issue of self-protection measures, the CGPCS underlines the central
importance of adherence to the Best Management Practices (BMP) guide. It
also urges for the maximum possible adherence by all merchant shipping
companies and welcomes the extension of the recommended area of
application for BMPs in order to achieve better ship protection.
The UK
reported on the Working Group 1 (WG1) meeting held in London on May 10,
which addressed regional capability development and the challenges posed
by the increasing operating area of Somali pirates. The CGPCS reaffirmed
its strong support for the activity of multinational and national
counter-piracy military operations in the region, and welcomed their
continuing success in delivering a substantial level of security for
international shipping, in particular in the critical Internationally
Recognized Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden, which remains
the key focus of military operations. The CGPCS noted the agreement in
WG1 on concrete steps that could be taken to mitigate threat, including
extending the application of industry Best Management Practices,
increased use of military Vessel Protection Detachments for vulnerable
shipping and increasing the number of military assets available for the
operations, including more helicopters, Maritime Patrol Aircraft,
replenishment vessels and the wide variety of warships which could be
useful for counter-piracy operations, as well as the possibility for
increased land-basing options in the region to support such naval and
air operations. It also noted with concern the need for additional
Maritime Patrol Aircraft to cover the Indian Ocean.
The CGPCS also reaffirmed the importance of continued work on regional
capacity development in the broad range of areas identified by the 2009
needs assessment report. It underlined the importance of effective
prosecution of pirate suspects and imprisonment of convicted pirates for
the credibility of the regional and international response, and welcomed
the leadership shown by Kenya and the Seychelles, as well as the
interest shown by Tanzania and others in supporting these efforts,
notwithstanding the urgent need for a sustainable prosecution and
detention solution. The CGPCS also welcomed the positive engagement of
the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and the regional
governments of Puntland and Somaliland in the work of WG1 and the
associated UN-led discussions with these three authorities on
counter-piracy issues (the "Kampala process").
In addition, it noted with appreciation the joint presentation of WG 1
on counter-piracy action and forward planning by the Ministers of the
Transitional Federal Government of Somalia and Puntland and Galmudug,
notably their proposal for a Coastal Monitoring Force. It also
considered as a positive step the signature in April 2010 by the TFG and
Puntland of a Memorandum of Understanding on co-operation on counter
piracy issues and commended concrete steps being taken by the
governments to disrupt pirate operations. The CGPCS encouraged all CGPCS
partners to provide support, financial or in kind, including for the
building of effective Somali structures, and supporting the
implementation of the Djibouti code of conduct and other training and
equipment needs of partners in the wider region, coordinating their
actions with other partners through the WG 1 matrix mechanism.
The CGPCS tasked WG 1 to continue to promote effective military
coordination between different naval forces combating piracy off the
coast of Somalia, as well as to enhance further regional capability
development.
Denmark reported on the results of the Working Group 2 (WG 2) meeting on
legal issues emphasizing the continued progress which was made by States
in establishing relevant national legislation and prosecuting pirates.
The Chair further noted that WG2 had identified a number of models to
ensure prosecution, including through a network of bilateral transfers
arrangement, and called on all affected States and organizations to
support the work of WG2. As for the UNSC Resolution 1918 of 27 April
2010, which requests that the UN produce a report on options for
prosecution, including a special domestic chamber, it was highlighted
that the work carried out by WG2 would be taken into account by the UN
Secretary General in his report which will be presented pursuant to the
above said resolution.
The CGPCS wishes to applaud the contribution of regional countries in
the field of prosecution, as well as the role of Kenya in bringing
pirates to justice, and the commitment of Seychelles to continue
prosecution of suspected pirates nationally, with the support of the
international community. The CGPCS calls upon all Participating States
and Organizations to continue their efforts to ensure prosecution of
suspected pirates while stressing at the same time the need for global
and regional burden sharing in the fight against piracy. France
presented a non-paper for the creation of a special Somali Court
relocated to a State in the region, with international support.
The CGPCS tasked WG2 to continue its work in conformity with the
conclusions of the Chairman.
The United States reported on results of Working Group 3 (WG3). Industry
and governments have continued to monitor the tactics used by Somali
pirates and, based on evaluations, have revised Best Management
Practices (BMPs) and other counter piracy guidance. Version 3 of the
BMPs has just been completed and has been distributed today.
Furthermore, industry groups are currently collaborating and developing
seafarer related guidance including papers covering the training,
preparation and care of seafarers, and planning actions recommended to
be taken for the event of being hijacked by pirates. The results of this
effort are anticipated in July. A related submission to the Maritime
Safety Committee of IMO is planned in time for its 88th session.
During the March 2010 meeting of WG3, it was decided that a survey would
be conducted to determine how Administrations were disseminating and
implementing BMPs. Of the 29 Administrations that attended the meeting,
18 Administrations responded including the four largest ship registries.
All responding Administrations disseminate BMPs to their fleets;
implementation being voluntary for most of the Administrations,
mandatory for others, with several using the International Ship and Port
Security Code (ISPS) framework for incorporating counter-piracy measures
into ship security plans. The carriage of armed security guards is
prohibited by most responding Administrations. CGPCS Participants are
encouraged to respond to the survey, if they have not already. The
results provide a means to understand how BMPs and other counter piracy
guidance are being disseminated and used, so that the most effective
implementation of self protection measures can be realized.
Egypt, chair of Working Group (WG4), made a presentation on the
developments that took place since the group last met in January 2010 in
New York, including the adoption by the International Trust Fund of the
CGPCS of the project prepared by UNPOS on “Utilizing Media to Prevent
and Combat Piracy”. The chairman of WG4, drew the attention to the
“Yearly Progress Questionnaire” which has been distributed lately to all
CGPCS members to identify what actions has been taken and which areas
remain to be worked upon as far as the communication strategy is
concerned to ensure its full implementation
The CGPCS tasked WG4 with the following:
1) To continue its efforts to compile the results of its "Yearly
Progress" survey with a view to identifying priorities of CGPCS
participants in the area of communication and information dissemination,
and encourage all stakeholders to comprehensively complete the survey,
and indicate which projects they are willing to sponsor or implement.
2) To continue its communication and coordination with UNPOS on the
implementation of the project endorsed by the CGPCS Trust Fund on
"Utilizing Media to Prevent & Combat Piracy" in Puntland.
3) To convene the next meeting of WG4 before the following CGPCS plenary
to discuss the results of the "Yearly Progress" survey, and identify
areas of potential future action.
INTERPOL delivered a presentation on its counter piracy activities and
regarding the role of its Task Force which deals inter alia with the
exchange of intelligence and information sharing, between all
stakeholders involved in the area of counter piracy cooperation such as
navies and international organizations. The announcement for the
partnership with EUROPOL can be considered a positive step forward to
upgrade the capacity of the international law enforcement community in
addressing piracy as an organized criminal enterprise.
Tracing of funds used to finance piracy attacks including the tracking
of ransom payments continues to remain a significant part of a broad
anti-piracy strategy. The CGPCS encourages States and international
organizations to tackle this challenge in a proactive way and urges
close cooperation among competent national authorities of Participating
States and INTERPOL in fulfilling this task.
The Contact Group believes it is important for the international
community to focus attention on restricting support for pirates by
inhibiting the networks that support this illicit activity. These
efforts should include tracking and freezing the assets of pirates to
deter their operations. International cooperation is necessary to
disrupt the financing and proceeds from piracy. The Contact Group
requested that the Chair explore an ad hoc meeting of experts on the
subject to focus on the financial aspects of piracy and to ensure that
this issue is dealt with comprehensively and includes relevant law
enforcement agencies. The Contact Group hopes such a meeting can take
place prior to the next plenary so that its findings can be reported to
the next plenary.
The CGPCS welcomes Finland and Pakistan as new participating States to
the Group and looks forward to their contribution in countering piracy.
The next (7th) Plenary Session of the CGPCS will be held in New York and
will be chaired by the Republic of Korea. It was also decided that
Turkey, Singapore and the Netherlands will chair the 8th, 9th and 10th
Plenary Sessions respectively.
PRN:
2010/781
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/06/143010.htm
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