BELGIUM ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JOIN PIRACY CONTACT

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRUSSELS 000164 SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR/WE AND PM/PPA:DHOPKINS OR EFOSTER E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2019 TAGS: AL EWWT KCRM PBTS PHSA BE SUBJECT: BELGIUM ACCEPTS INVITATION TO JOIN PIRACY CONTACT GROUP REF: STATE 7606 Classified By: Political Counselor Richard Eason, reason 1.4(b) and (d) . ¶1. (C) On February 3 POLOFF met with Pol De Witte, Director for Security Policy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. De Witte said that Belgium accepts the invitation of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) to join as a member of the group. POLOFF provided De Witte with a copy of the communique transmitte reftel. ¶2. (C) The GOB point of contact for the CGPCS is Peter Van De Velde, Counsellor in the Department of European Security and Defense Policy at the MFA. His telephone is 322-501-8923 in Brussels, and his e-mail is peter.vandevelde(at)diplobel.fed.be. Van De Velde is already chairing an internal GOB committee on Somalia piracy that includes the Belgian Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Transport and the Royal Belgian Shipowners Association. ¶3. (C) De Witte said that the Belgian government is interested in participating in all four working groups of the CGPCS, and that within the government, the Ministry of Defense would have the lead on Working Groups One and Two, the Ministry of Transport on Working Group 3 and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Working Group 4. De Witte said that, depending on where meetings of the working groups are held, it is likely that diplomats from the Belgian mission to the United Nations or other diplomatic posts would attend if no one from Brussels is able to come. ¶4. (C) The GOB is enthusiastic about participation in the CGPCS because of its intention to participate in the EU's Atalanta operation and an eventual NATO mission to the area. Belgium will send the frigate Marie Louise and its crew to the waters off Somalia in August 2009 as part of the EU effort. De Witte said that the EU is close to an agreement with Kenya to take into custody pirates who are taken prisoner. Responsibility for such prisoners is a major concern of the GOB. BUSH .