DJIBOUTI: NO POSITION YET ON INTERNATIONAL PIRACY COURT

C O N F I D E N T I A L DJIBOUTI 000683

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR AF/E, PM/PPA, AND IO/UNP
DEPARTMENT PASS MARITIME SECURITY COLLECTIVE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/06/11
TAGS: EWWT PHSA PGOV PREL MARR DJ
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: NO POSITION YET ON INTERNATIONAL PIRACY COURT

REF: STATE 58579

CLASSIFIED BY: J. Swan, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (SBU) DCM and POLOFF delivered nonpaper and discussed
reftel points with GODJ Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director of
Bilateral Relations Mohamed Ali Hassan June 11.




2. (C) Hassan said that the GODJ had not yet taken a position
on the question of an international piracy court. In many
situations like this one, Hassan said, the GODJ preferred to "wait,
listen, and discuss," taking the "temperature" of the international
environment before making a final decision. Hassan said that while
talk of an international piracy court "had been circulating,"
Djibouti would be very unlikely to come out in front with a
bilateral position before more general consensus emerged. Hassan
said that the GODJ would be interested in concrete USG proposals
for alternatives to an international court; DCM discussed the
alternatives presented in the nonpaper. Hassan said that he was
particularly interested in the idea of an international trust fund
to help defray the cost of national prosecutions. Hassan
underlined the importance of finding timely solutions to the
question of prosecution, asking, "How long will it take until Kenya
becomes jammed [with suspected pirates]?"




3. (C) Additionally, Hassan said that he was planning to
present the Minister of Foreign Affairs with his idea to form a
committee or working group of all countries involved in anti-piracy
efforts in Djibouti, together with the GODJ Ministries of Foreign
Affairs, Defense, and Transport. The goal of this group, he said,
would be to improve coordination in-country between and among
foreign forces and the GODJ.




4. (C) COMMENT. Djibouti is unlikely to take an early or
vocal stance on the question of an international piracy court, and
will probably look to any common positions taken by the African
Union, Arab League, or other regional groupings. However, as an
increasing number of anti-piracy efforts base their efforts out of
Djibouti, the GODJ remains completely vested both in continuing to
improve anti-piracy coordination, and in finding effective
solutions to the question of prosecution. END COMMENT.
SWAN