EGYPT: Somalia's president cautions against paying pirates ransom and says possible US military strikes against pirate bases on land will not solve the problem

Record ID: 588949

  • Title: EGYPT: Somalia's president cautions against paying pirates ransom and says possible US military strikes against pirate bases on land will not solve the problem
  • Date: 23rd April 2009
  • Summary: CAIRO, EGYPT (APRIL 22, 2009) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF EGYPTIAN PRESIDENTIAL PALACE
  • Embargoed: 8th May 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Egypt
  • Country: Egypt
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3R16BP69BQIM2WV5T3FK28Z8W
  • Story Text: Somalia's president cautions against paying pirates ransom and says possible US military strikes against pirate bases on land will not solve the problem.
    Somalia's president on Wednesday (April 22) warned the international community against paying ransom to pirates who have caused havoc in shipping lanes off the Somali coast, saying that doing so only encourages more hostage-taking.
    Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, who met with Egypt's President in Cairo en route to a donors conference for Somalia being held in Belgium, also warned against any U.S. military strikes on the land bases of pirates who have seized dozens of ships off his country's coastline, saying such an attack would have no positive effect.
    The brief seizure of US ship the Maersk Alabama and the subsequent hostage drama involving the vessel's captain have led to calls from lawmakers in Washington and former military officers for U.S. forces to attack the pirates' base camps on land.

    "Paying them a ransom, whereby they gain huge amounts of money, encourages them to engage in actions against the ships that pass through regional and international waters. So ransom has been encouraging their criminal actions. And there are also western ships present near the Somali coast sitting idle until the present. So for that reason our vision is to strengthen our government, and our military forces are ready to move,"
    said Ahmed.
    The Somali president also said that his government had had success in prosecuting the pirates through the legal system before, and that its own military forces could deal with the problem if given training.

    "In fact, pirates live on land, they don't live on the sea, and they are people that are known to us. And previously we managed to eliminate them through the courts. So the idea now is to strengthen the Somali police forces so that they will have the capability to pursue them, and also to establish a coast guard whose task will be to protect the Somali coast and to stop the pirates attacking any ships," he said.
    Sheikh Ahmed also said that any US strikes would be counterproductive.

    "There will not be any positive effect on the pirates because they are very careful, and so they have advantages, or this will benefit other parties, so our advice is not to do this, and that the solution should be comprehensive. As for attacks like this, they very rarely achieve their targets," he said.
    A senior U.S. defence official said earlier this week that the United States was unlikely to attack Somali pirate bases on land due to the risk of civilian deaths but that Washington may help local authorities fight the scourge.
    The United States has used air strikes in the past to target Islamist militants in lawless Somalia.
    But U.S. officials are wary of any action that could kill civilians and lead the pirates to seek common cause with Islamist militants such as Somalia's al-Shabab group.
    END
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