INVITATION TO CONTACT GROUP ON SOMALI PIRACY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 05 STATE 133199 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EWWT KCRM MOPS PBTS PHSA PTER SUBJECT: INVITATION TO CONTACT GROUP ON SOMALI PIRACY REF: A. STATE 129941 ¶B. STATE 125514 -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. This is an action request. UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1851, adopted unanimously on December 16, 2008, calls for the establishment of a mechanism for international cooperation to deal with all aspects of combating piracy off Somalia,s coast. Pursuant to resolution 1851, the U.S has proposed the formation of a Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP),with the participation of 22 countries and five international organizations. The Department requests action addressees invite an assistant secretary-level official to participate in the inaugural meeting of the Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP),proposed for January 13-14, 2009, in New York City. -------------- OBJECTIVES -------------- FOR ALL ADDRESSEES ¶2. Posts are requested to engage host governments and organizations to pursue the following objectives: -- Extend appreciation for their support of a counter-piracy contact group and, if also a Council Member, for support of UNSCR 1851. -- Extend appreciation, as appropriate, for actions taken to help address the piracy problem off the coast of Somalia ) i.e., national contributions or as part of EU, NATO, or Combined Task Force 150 missions. -- Request and confirm participation of an assistant secretary-level official at the anticipated inaugural meeting of the Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP) in New York on January 13-14, 2009. We expect to host a reception on the evening of January 13 with a full day of discussion on January 14. STATE 00133199 002 OF 005 -- Brief on proposed Agenda and solicit input. -- Brief on draft Statement of Principles and ask that they be prepared to discuss the Statement at the CGSP meeting. -- Ask that they be prepared to discuss how the CGSP should address the six focus areas and how they can contribute to those areas of focus. -------------- REPORTING DEADLINE -------------- ¶3. Posts are requested to confirm participation of named individual(s) and provide any feedback to the Proposed Agenda and areas of focus by December 31. -------------- DRAFT CGSP STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES -------------- ¶4. -- The Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP) is established to facilitate discussion and coordinate the activities of states and international organizations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851. -- CGSP membership is composed of regional countries affected by piracy and those nations having the capability to undertake or help build the capacity of regional partners to undertake effective counter-piracy measures. The following 22 nations constitute the founding membership of the CGSP: Australia, China, Denmark, Djibouti, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, India, Japan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, The Netherlands, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia Transitional Federal Government, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Yemen. Additionally, five organizations will participate as observers: the African Union, the European Union, the International Maritime Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and the United Nations Secretariat. Membership or observer status may be extended to other countries or organizations by consensus of the founding members. -- The Contact Group on Somali Piracy notes that piracy off the Horn of Africa grew dramatically in 2008 and that attacks on shipping can be expected to increase in numbers and sophistication without enhanced international efforts. In 2008, over 100 attacks, including over 40 successful STATE 00133199 003 OF 005 seizures, have resulted in hundreds of sailors taken hostage. The pirates have been demanding million-dollar ransoms for release of the hostages, ships and cargoes. Somali-based piracy disrupts critical humanitarian aid deliveries to Somalia, causes shipping insurance premiums along one of the world,s most traveled routes to rise to near-prohibitive levels, adds crippling costs and causes losses of crucial revenue by forcing the diversion of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, and raises the prospect of an environmental disaster as ships fall prey to hostile intent. Piracy weakens security and rule of law in Somalia and is a threat to regional stability. -- To address and coordinate effective international responses to piracy off the coast of Somalia, it is proposed that the Contact Group will focus on six areas: 1) Enhance Information and Intelligence Sharing: The CGSP will review the status of current intelligence sharing. Additionally, the CGSP will advocate for the establishment of a regional Counter-Piracy Coordination Center (CPCC) to share and disseminate information. 2) Coordinate Military Activities among Organizations and Nations: The CGSP will review current military coordination mechanisms and develop options for improving coordination. It will also work to increase force presence and support to conduct regional counter-piracy law enforcement operations. 3) Promote a &Judicial Track8 to Arrest, Detain and Prosecute Pirates: The CGSP will assess and develop, as appropriate, legal arrangements for apprehending, incarcerating and prosecuting persons seized in counter-piracy operations, and coordinate assistance where necessary to build the judicial capacity of regional powers to conduct prosecutions. 4) Advocate an Increase in Maritime Self-Defense Capabilities: The CGSP will seek greater self protection of commercial vessels. 5) Interdict Financial Flows to Pirate Organizations: The CGPS will advocate for and advise on the use of national capabilities to gather, assess and share financial intelligence on pirate operations. The goal of these efforts is to trace payments to pirate organizations and apprehend the leaders, enablers and beneficiaries. 6) Increase Public Diplomacy Activities: The CGSP will STATE 00133199 004 OF 005 review current public outreach activities and develop plans to discourage piracy by emphasizing its destructive effects on local populations and regional prosperity, highlighting the severe consequences for pirates. Simultaneously, the CGSP will serve as a forum to promote the message that the international community is not at war with Somalia, and to offer the Somali people support for their economic rights in Somalia,s territorial waters. -------------- PROPOSED MEETING SEQUENCE -------------- ¶5. The Contact Group on Somali Piracy sessions will begin with a reception on the evening of 13 January. On 14 January, venues and meeting times in New York for the full Contact Group have yet to be finalized, but a plenary session will begin the session, followed by break out/working group meetings. There should be sufficient room to accommodate each country,s principal representative and one aide ( 1). We propose the following draft agenda, but would be amenable to suggestions: 1) Review of UNSC Resolutions 1851 and 1846 2) Review proposed CGSP Statement of Principles 3) Discuss proposed Terms of Reference/Work Plan 4) Discuss logistic and financial support for CGSP 5) Reach agreement on next steps and future meetings 6) Develop and release CGSP communiqu -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶6. UNSC Resolution 1851 calls for an international cooperation mechanism to address piracy off the coast of Somalia, authorizes individual states cooperating with the Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and at the TFG,s request to conduct counter-piracy operations in Somalia, and calls for international support to build the judicial capacity of regional states to carry out their obligations to combat piracy. The U.S.-led resolution won unanimous support, with most Council members saying they had STATE 00133199 005 OF 005 voted in favor of the text because they sought robust action and welcomed the practical measures contained in the resolution. -------------- POINTS OF CONTACT -------------- ¶7. Department POCs are in PM/PPA: David Glancy at (202) 736-4054, Donna Hopkins at (202) 647-0792, Evan Foster at (202) 647-0336, or by email. RICE