UPDATE ON EU COUNTER-PIRACY DEVELOPMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 000587 SIPDIS NOFORN PASS TO NAVCENT POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/21/2019 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL EWWT XW XF EUN SUBJECT: UPDATE ON EU COUNTER-PIRACY DEVELOPMENTS REF: A. USEU BRUSSELS 568 ¶B. USEU BRUSSELS 527 ¶C. USEU BRUSSELS 133 ¶D. 08 USEU BRUSSELS 1565 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Christopher Murray for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C//NF) Diplomatic and military interlocutors from the UK Permanent Representation to the EU told PolOff on April 21 that if the U.S. wants NATO to take the lead for counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia, we will have to do the "heavy lifting." Our UK contacts also confirmed that the UK Defense Secretary assured EU counterparts at the March EU Defense Ministerial in Prague that the UK will lead an EU counter-piracy operation from its Northwood headquarters until December 2010 if EU Member States authorize a continued operation. They also provided confirmation that there is an emerging agreement among Member States to extend the EU operation (REFS A AND B),which will almost certainly keep the UK engaged in an EU context until the end of 2010. ¶2. (C//NF) Our European allies appear to favor an EU lead on counter-piracy efforts for several reasons. First, given the existing political will to be engaged as the EU, our UK contacts suggest that several EU Member States will be reluctant to relinquish the EU's leading role in combating piracy. Second, the EU concluded an agreement with Kenya on March 6, which appears to give Member States some legal authority to transfer detained pirates to the Government of Kenya for prosecution. Finally, force generation for Operation ATALANTA continues to be successful, and the mission could grow to as many as ten ships supported by maritime patrol aircraft by mid-May. Even non-EU allies see the value of the EU operation and are contributing to it. Norway will contribute a frigate beginning this summer. A contact in the Swiss mission told PolOff that Switzerland wants to contribute if it can gain parliamentary approval for the deployment of two special forces teams, a medical team, and military officers and jurists for the EU headquarters. ¶3. (C) In addition, the EU is already moving to supplement its naval operation with regional capacity building. On April 17, the European Commission announced the adoption of the Indicative Program for its 2009-2011 Instrument for Stability, which "includes a significant component to tackle the threat of piracy to critical maritime routes, in particular in the Gulf of Aden, by enhancing the capacity of coastal states to patrol their own territorial waters and exchange information." (REFS C AND D) MURRAY .