Egypt backs anti-piracy efforts off Somalia coast: FM

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-03 14:52

CAIRO -- Egypt fully supports the efforts of the international community exerted to fight against piracy off the Somalia coast, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said Thursday.

It's necessary to protect maritime transportation off the Somalia coast due to escalating piracy threats in the international waters, said Abul Gheit in a statement.

Parties concerned should adopt approved measures and coordinate their efforts with each other in face of piracy, said Abul Gheit.

He also called for an immediate peaceful solution to the political crisis in Somalia, which he believes is helpful for curbing the escalating piracy threats.

The Somali government and the opposition should activate a recently signed peace agreement between them and reach a comprehensive national reconciliation, he said.

On September 6, an Egyptian ship and its 25 crew were hijacked off the Somali coast and they were set free by its abductors at the end of September. Last week, a Ukrainian ship with 21 crew members and cargo of military hardware were also hijacked there.

Somali President Abdullahi Yusuf on Wednesday condemned the recent upsurge in rampant piracy and accused it of imposing an embargo on the war-wrecked Horn of Africa country which has already faced humanitarian crises.

Piracy is rife in the Somali coastal waters, one of the most important shipping waterways in the world. Nearly 50 ships have been either attacked or abducted there so far this year. The Somali transitional government has no navy and can not stop piracy activities from escalating.