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Start in Somalia to fight rising piracy: Abdullah

“The UAE recognises that the solution of the maritime piracy problem is essentially connected to the issues of stability and sustainable development as the only long-term solution to violence and crime,” Shaikh Abdullah said.

Over 50 delegations from countries across the world, maritime and defence experts and CEOs of shipping companies converged in Dubai to find solutions to the menace which is fast spreading its reach across the world.

‘‘The convening of this high level conference on counter piracy — the first of its kind in the GCC region — represents an opportunity to unite all our efforts made in order to eradicate the threat posed by piracy to international maritime activities. We all have committed ourselves to not allowing the current situation to continue, to disrupt pirate gangs terrorist activities on our seas,’’ said the minister.

DP World Chairman Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, and Mohammed Abdulahi Omar Asharq, Foreign Minister of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia echoed the minister’s views.

‘‘While the current international focus is on finding near-term, “offshore” solutions for the piracy menace — particularly in the area of defensive technologies — it is increasingly clear that the community of nations need to be thinking also long term, and onshore,’’ said Sultan Ahmed.

He said stable, prosperous economies were the only effective and lasting solution to the scourge. ‘‘Piracy feeds on the lack of opportunities to make honest money, the lack of structure, the lack of security, the lack of hope for a stable future,’’ said the DP World chief.

Industry-government initiatives like this conference could go a long way in finding a comprehensive solution to the problem, he said.

Mohammed Abdulahi said the world had not addressed the root cause of the problem and had allowed the situation to slip in his country for over two decades.

‘‘The situation is serious and we have allowed a slow genocide, which has led to more piracy in international waters,’’ he said.

Over 1,500 Somali pirates now have a free run all the way to the Arabian Sea. ‘‘The race has been won by the pirates because there is a vacuum at the heart of the National Somali State,’’ said the minister.

He lamented that the West intervened in Libya and even in Iraq, but responded with containment in his country, which was the breeding ground for piracy and extremism.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), in a recent report said 142 ships were attacked in the first quarter of 2011. Last year 445 attacks, were reported, the highest since 1991. Losses to shipping range from $7bn-12billion, according to some experts.

IMB Director, P. Mukundan, speaking to this newspaper on the sidelines of the conference, said development issues were important for Somalia, but international navies must revise the rules of engagement with pirates. ‘‘They are criminals and should be treated thus, and their mother ships must be targeted, else they’ll go after more vessels.’’ — allan@khaleejtimes.com

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