PRESIDENT SUPPORTS COORDINATION CENTER ON PIRACY

UNCLAS NAIROBI 000209 FOR AF/E E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHSA PGOV KE SO SUBJECT: PRESIDENT SUPPORTS COORDINATION CENTER ON PIRACY REF: 2008 NAIROBI 2869 ¶1. During the Ambassador's meeting with President Kibaki on January 27, the President expressed strong interest in having a coordination center established in Kenya as a "headquarters unit" for the Contact Group on Somali Piracy (CGSP). Post understands the concept of a coordination center was advanced by the U.S. delegation informally at the initial meeting of the Contract Group on Somali Piracy in New York in early January, and that initial reactions from some regional states have been positive. ¶2. Kenya's recent signing of MOUs on piracy with the UK and U.S., its demonstrated willingness to take possession of, prosecute, and punish captured pirates (the late-2008 and still ongoing in the courts British case of eight suspected pirates, Ref A; and, the 2006 case when the U.S. Navy handed over ten pirates who were prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned),its strategic location, its initiatives to exert leadership in the region on piracy, and the U.S. military's strong liaison relationships with Kenya, all make Kenya a logical choice for basing a CGSP multinational coordination effort on counter-piracy. ¶3. The President shared his concerns about Somali piracy in the presence of Foreign Minister Wetangula, who the President has directed to make Somali piracy a higher priority issue. The GOK recognizes fully the national interest at stake -- the economic costs are huge as pirates threaten its shipping lanes and the viability of the port of Mombasa -- and it has demonstrated the political will to engage actively on counter-piracy efforts. Post supports the GOK's initiative to play a greater role on Somali piracy, to include its hosting a central coordination office. RANNEBERGER