Foreign and Military Affairs

Fight Somalia pirates on land, China tells the UN

By Zhang Yuwei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-03-11 19:14

UNITED NATIONS - China has called for greater "political, economic and judicial" ways to combat the land-based origins of piracy in Somalia.

Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, said on Thursday that the world must have a deeper reflection on its strategy to fight piracy.

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"Great attention must be given to effectively addressing the land-based origins of piracy by political, economic and judicial means," he said.

Pottengal Mukundan, director for the London-based International Maritime Bureau, said it is vital the UN Security Council discusses clearly defined concrete recommendations on how to deal with the piracy problem.

He said no response against the pirates will be complete unless steps are taken to build a local administrative infrastructure in Central Somalia - the area where many pirates come from.

"All the actions taken at sea will be undermined if no action is taken ashore in Central Somalia," he said.

Mukundan said that so far this year, there have been 76 attacks by Somali pirates, of which 14 vessels have been hijacked with 250 crew members on board. The pirates are holding 32 vessels and 680 crew in Somalia, awaiting resolution of their ransom demands, he said.

"Steps should be taken in the neighboring countries to improve anti-money laundering laws," he said. The urgency of combating piracy in Somalia was high on the agenda for an open debate by the UN Security Council. China heads the Security Council this month, with Li serving as its president.

Somalia's Prime Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said: "We are in the first line of defense against two evils - the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism."

The root cause and breeding ground of terrorism and piracy was "lawlessness coupled with poverty and unemployment, and soaked with fanaticism and religious indoctrination," he said.

Li said China believes it is necessary to formulate and implement a comprehensive strategy for peace and security and development of Somalia.

"The multiple problems facing Somalia are interconnected and mutually affecting and therefore require an integrated response," said Li.

He said it is important to show the Somalis the prospect of a good life to help build their confidence for a better future, adding that China urges the UN and donors to mobilize more financial resources to Somalia.

A concept paper issued by China before the debate says the 20-year civil strife has caused enormous suffering, leaving an estimated 2.4 million Somalis needing assistance, with the situation exacerbated by the drought.

An inclusive dialogue among all Somalis and key stakeholders will help map the way forward, it said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) troops from Burundi and Uganda had made the ultimate sacrifice in the cause of peace, as had numerous civilians, expressing his condolences to the victims' families.

He said AMISOM would be more effective if it had more resources, and urges member states to increase their contributions to its Trust Fund.

Henry Bellingham, UK's Minister for Africa, said his country would contribute an "uncaveated" $3 million to the AMISOM Trust Fund, calling on others to make similar contributions.

Li said China appreciates the leading role played by regional organizations such as the African Union (AU) and AMISOM and urges the world to provide more support to the AU.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said 2,500 Somalis register in refugee camps across the border in Kenya each week. Before the fighting and drought, that number had been fewer than 400, Ban said.