EU ANTI-PIRACY FORCE GROWING STRONGER, MAY EXPAND

C O N F I D E N T I A L USEU BRUSSELS 000642 SIPDIS PASS TO POLAD USNAVCENT E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/05/2019 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL EWWT XW XF EUN SUBJECT: EU ANTI-PIRACY FORCE GROWING STRONGER, MAY EXPAND MANDATE Classified By: Pol M-C Christhoper Davis for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: The EU's counter-piracy force off the coast of Somalia has grown to 12 ships and four maritime patrol aircraft, with Member States still pledging new forces and in some cases keeping their ships in the operation longer than originally planned. As p art of the operation's mid-mandate review, which kicks off in June, the EU Council Sec-retariat will encourage Member States to extend the operation's mandate until December 2010 and to consider additional Council-led capacity-building initiatives to complement those being pursued by the European Commission. On the issue of a NATO operation, a Council Secretariat contact told USEU that the EU would welcome a NATO operation if it brought capability to bear that would not be available to the EU; i.e., if the U.S., Canada, Turkey, and perhaps NATO partnership countries, pledged forces. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The EU's anti-piracy naval force off the coast of Somalia has grown to 12 ships supported by four maritime patrol aircraft, by far the largest counter-piracy force in the region. On May 5, Didier Lenoir, Head of the Operations and Exercises Unit in the EU Council Secretariat, told PolOff that EU Member States recognize the gravity of the piracy problem off Somalia and are responding by increasing their contributions to the military operation. Member States are pledging new forces and in some cases are keeping their ships in the operation longer than originally planned. (Comment: A small number of ships are part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group but are temporarily under EU command for counter-piracy operations. End Comment.) EU foreign ministers discussed piracy during the April 27-28 Foreign Minsiters meeting (GAERC),and Spain even raised the issue in a recent Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting. Spain is pressing in particular for greater EU engagement in the southern sector of the EU's area of operations, where Madrid seeks protection for Spanish fishermen. Piracy is also on the agenda for the May 18-19 meeting of EU foreign and defense ministers. ¶3. (C) Drawing on cleared points, PolOff said the U.S. would welcome an extension and expansion of the EU's naval force, and encouraged the EU to consider additional actions to combat the root causes of piracy, such as capacity-building measures for regional states. Noting that the European Commission is already exploring capacity-building initiatives, PolOff encouraged the Council and Member States to consider additional contributions. Lenoir said that as part of the operation's mid-mandate review, which will be released to Member States in June, the Sec-retariat will recommend that Member States consider additional Council-led EU capacity-building measures, which they could pursue in concert with the Commission. He also said the mid-mandate review would include a recommendation to continue the operation for another year, until December 2010. ¶4. (C) PolOff raised the ongoing discussion at NATO of a longer term counter-piracy operation, emphasizing that both the EU and NATO should be fully engaged. Lenoir responded that the EU would welcome a NATO mission if it brought new capability to bear; i.e., if it included U.S., Canadian, and Turkish contributions, or contributions from NATO partners, that were less likely to be pledged to the EU. MURRAY .