SECRETARY CLINTON'S REPLY TO FRENCH FOREIGN

UNCLAS STATE 058405 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AF FR SO KCRM MARR NATO OPDC PBTS PGOV PHSA, PHUM, PREL,PTER SUBJECT: SECRETARY CLINTON'S REPLY TO FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER KOUCHNER'S LETTER ON COOPERATION ON PIRACY AND SOMALIA (S/ES: 200909198) ¶1. (SBU) Please deliver the Secretary's reply to Foreign Minister Kouchner by June 3. There will not be a signed original. ¶2. Dear Bernard: Thank you for your letter of April 28. The United States values its cooperation with France, NATO Allies, and the European Union on the shared goal of countering piracy off the Horn of Africa, achieving political and economic stability in Somalia, and responding to the humanitarian needs of the Somali people. We particularly appreciate France's leadership in encouraging allies and others to escort vessels bearing food assistance to Somalia. Your efforts to assist the Seychelles in the fight against piracy are also deeply appreciated. We are interested in discussing your strategies to recover pirate "mother ships," possibly through NATO operations. Our Presidents agreed at Strasbourg that we would work together in NATO to build African capacity in coastal and maritime security in addition to our bilateral, UN, and EU efforts to combat the threat of piracy. We would also like to see the maritime industry take more responsibility for their ships' security. Since naval forces cannot be everywhere, we should encourage ship owners, captains, and crews to adopt maritime best practices for self-protection against possible pirate attacks. This should include onboard security teams for some vessels passing the Somali coast. We must also continue to develop measures to ensure that pirates are brought to justice. I strongly commend your government for prosecuting pirates who attack French ships. I hope you will join me in persuading other Allies and partners to adopt laws that would enable them to prosecute captured pirates as well. Not least among our efforts to disrupt Somalia's pirates must be an examination of the financial levers that might be used against pirates and their enablers. At the May 29 plenary meeting of the international Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) in New York, the United States proposed the establishment of a fifth working group on tracking and freezing financial assets. Working Group 5 would focus on understanding both the informal and formal financial systems that facilitate piracy. The United States would be very pleased if France would offer to lead this working group, since France has already taken steps to identify and isolate individuals complicit in this criminal activity. We fully agree with France that piracy is only a symptom of the chronic instability in Somalia and that this must also be addressed. The key to long-term peace and stability in Somalia lies in the establishment of effective governance based on inclusive political dialogue and reconciliation between the Transitional Federal Government and other moderates. Security must improve in order for political stability to take hold, for the humanitarian situation to improve, and for Somalia's recovery to begin. To this end, the United States is supporting the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM)and the development of the transitional government's security institutions. I very much welcome this opportunity to exchange ideas with you in our joint efforts to combat piracy and to support the Somali people. Sincerely yours, HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON End text. CLINTON