MALAYSIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTACT GROUP ON

UNCLAS KUALA LUMPUR 000404 SENSITIVE SIPDIS PM FOR FORAN, HUSAIN, ROSATI MANAMA FOR CMF/CHAMBERS SINGAPORE FOR NCIS/MARUSHI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PBTS PHSA KCRM MARR ECON EWWT MY SUBJECT: MALAYSIAN PARTICIPATION IN THE CONTACT GROUP ON PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA REF: SECSTATE 50499 ¶1. (SBU) Summary and Comment: Post conveyed reftel points on the Somali piracy Contact Group to Malaysia's Foreign Ministry on May 20. The MFA official proposed no changes to the draft CGPCS agenda and offered that Malaysia will be represented at the CGPCS by its PermRep and staff from its Permanent Mission in New York. As an aspiring member, Malaysia appears to be taking an approach to the Contact Group that is both pragmatic with regard to the immediate protection of Malaysian vessels and (at least rhetorically) focused on addressing the longer-term root causes of piracy in Somalia. End Summary and Comment. ¶2. (SBU) Emboff, together with U.S. Naval Attache and a visiting USN captain from the Combined Maritime Forces, met on May 20 with MFA Multilateral Political Affairs Under Secretary Ganeson and provided the agenda and administrative details of the May 29 meeting of the Contact Group (reftel), for which Malaysia is an aspiring member. Ganeson noted the MFA had convened an interagency group to discuss Malaysia's approach to the CGPCS meeting and to confirm Malaysia's UN PermRep and his staff as participants for the New York session. While no delegation will be sent from Malaysia to the upcoming New York CGPCS meeting, Ganeson expected the MFA to play an increasing role in coordinating what thus far has been disjointed Malaysian engagement in international anti-piracy discussions. Interagency representatives from Malaysia expect to attend future Working Group meetings, assuming Malaysia is accepted as a member. ¶3. (SBU) In previewing with Ganeson USG positions on various agenda items, Ganeson acknowledged that Malaysia currently does not have piracy laws and that, in the past, piracy cases have been tried under the Malaysian penal code. Malaysia is now considering signing on to the SUA Convention on the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation. On the proposed creation of working group 5 on financial levers, Ganeson acknowledged the leadership role that Malaysia's central Bank Negara has taken training other ASEAN countries' central banks within the FATF and that Malaysia could bring such expertise to the counter-piracy effort. ¶4. (SBU) Ganeson inquired about an organized crime nexus to piracy, citing recent press reporting of pirates receiving information about ships itineraries to plan attacks on certain kinds of ships in the Gulf of Aden. We noted that there was extensive information sharing among Contact Group countries leading to increasing levels of law enforcement and investigative interest. Ganeson asked about the functioning of the CGPCS: whether members only are given the opportunity to share their view; and similarly whether only Working Group chairs report, or whether other WG members may share their comments. Finally, Ganeson asked for copies of existing WG reports/papers. (Note: Please forward appropriate documents electronically to Embassy POC Jason Donovan at DonovanJ@state.gov.) KEITH