DANES WANT "AMBITIOUS" SOMALI PIRACY CONTACT GROUP

UNCLAS COPENHAGEN 000020 SENSITIVE SIPDIS FOR PM/PPA, EUR AND EUR/NB E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KCRM EWWT MOPS PBTS PHSA PTER DA SUBJECT: DANES WANT "AMBITIOUS" SOMALI PIRACY CONTACT GROUP REF: A. 08 SECSTATE 133199 ¶B. SECSTATE 1223 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Denmark supports a robust mandate for the Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP),and hopes that the CGSP's January 13-14 inaugural meeting will provide it with an ambitious and substantive operational agenda. The Danes hope to take on leadership of the CGSP's legal and judicial affairs working group. Copenhagen also agrees that the CGSP needs structure and resources to successfully coordinate the overlapping mandates that currently exist to combat piracy off the Horn of Africa, but cautions that there will need to be clarity up front regarding potential financial and material commitments. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) Danish MFA Legal Advisor Thomas Winkler told us January 7 that Denmark "fully supports the ambitious agenda" evident in the materials we provided them for the January 13-14 inaugural meeting of the Contact Group on Somali Piracy (Ref A). Winkler said that Denmark was hoping for early action and results. Winkler told us that he had already heard from some Contact Group members advocating caution and a go-slow approach at next week's meeting. Winkler made clear that Denmark was arguing for the opposite approach. ¶3. (SBU) Citing a discussion in Washington earlier this week between Danish Ambassador Friis Arne Petersen and A/S Kimmitt, Winkler outlined for us Denmark's priorities for the first CGSP meeting and provided some substantive feedback. Winkler stressed that it is important that the inaugural meeting make every effort to focus on real substance, and not get bogged down in organizational/administrative discussion. One of Denmark's top priorities is to ensure that the first CGSP establishes functioning working groups. ¶4. (SBU) Winkler said he was "nearly certain" that Denmark would welcome taking on the leadership of working group 3 (on strengthening judicial frameworks for arrest, prosecution, and detention of pirates). That decision still needs to be cleared by Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, but Winkler indicated this was a formality and said that Denmark would be able to formally advise us of its decision no later than January 12. ¶5. (SBU) More broadly, Winkler said that members "need to think carefully" about what kind of system the CGSP will be. Winkler said it was the Danes' impression that the issue list and draft communique provided by the USG suggested something more structured; this was Denmark's preference, too. Winkler cautioned, however, that this might be a hard sell with some members who could fear the implied commitments of manpower and money. While Denmark has contributed both to the fight against piracy (the Danish frigate Absalon is currently the flagship for Task Force 150),Winkler suggested that Denmark and, potentially, others might resist language in the final communique that obligates members on specific commitments. ¶6. (SBU) Winkler also provided feedback on focus area 4 (industry collaboration). The Danes see this, too, as very important, given their large maritime industry. Winkler said the Danes would like industry cooperation to receive more prominence in the communique, and asked whether language to this effect might not be potentially expanded and moved up in the document. ¶7. (SBU) Regarding references to existing international conventions and piracy (here Winkler pointed to para 6 of draft communique),Winkler suggested omitting for now references to specific agreements. He cited as an example the SUA Convention, noting that it could be controversial since some members were likely to regard it more as an anti-terrorism and less an anti-piracy convention. Winkler offered that it might be more helpful to keep a general reference to the need to observe existing international/UN conventions, but to leave discussion of specific agreements to lawyers in the appropriate working group. Winkler felt this could help the group avoid getting bogged down in interpretive discussions of specific agreements that Denmark fears might only slow necessary consensus and follow-up action. ¶8. (SBU) Winkler said the Danes stood ready to be helpful in brokering compromise on any other issues if necessary. Denmark was ready to take whatever steps it could to keep a strong substantive focus in the CGSP's first meeting, one that Copenhagen hopes will yield early results. CAIN