David Miliband

EUROPE: TACKLING PIRACY

EU Member States decided yesterday to accept the offer made by the UK to provide the Operation Commander and Operations HQ for the planned EU counter-piracy naval operation off the coast of Somalia, a decision which is likely to be agreed at Ministerial level within the next two weeks.  There has recently been a big hike in pirate attacks, at its peak this year 15 ships and more than 350 persons held hostage, most notoriously the hijack of the ship carrying Ukrainian T72 tanks, and it's clear that something needs to be done to make the busy waterways in the region safer.  The Gulf of Aden is the route to/from the Suez Canal, so of vital economic importance. 

Rear Admiral Phil Jones and his HQ at Northwood will now take forward the detailed planning to make this happen, including gathering together the necessary ships and other assets required from the UK (we'll provide a frigate at the beginning of the operation), other EU Member States and possible non-EU contributors.  A final decision to launch can only be taken once we are sure there are enough assets, but initial signs look positive.   Once the operation has been agreed formally and launched, probably in December, European countries will then be making an even more significant contribution to countering the growing scourge of piracy, with their key task to ensure the safe delivery of World Food Programme and other vital humanitarian deliveries to Somalia, but also to deter attacks on European and other shipping.

So here is the EU adding real value to international crisis management, and delivering additional assets to those already in the area.  The multinational coalition Combined Task Force 150, based in Bahrain, and which has included the UK and other Europeans, has not been able to focus much on piracy given its primary counter-terrorism responsibilities - we will now have an operation designed specifically to do this counter-piracy job.  Until the time the EU operation is up and running, a NATO task force transiting the area will lend a hand, and it is excellent news that the EU and NATO are talking closely together to ensure that their efforts are closely coordinated and in fact mutually reinforcing - very much the UK vision for European security.

The additional added value from the EU is the prospect of a co-ordinated/complementary development effort on land in Somalia to reinforce governance mechanisms and to take steps towards re-establishment of Somalia as a functioning economy.  DFID is already active with a £ 25M programme, and the European Commission too, but there is a need for the international community as a whole to do more.  Piracy will continue until its roots on land are tackled effectively

Posted at 17:11 16 October 2008 by David Miliband  |  Comments[2]