SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON UN ROLE ON

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000816 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SO XA KCRM UNSC PHUM PHSA EWWT SUBJECT: SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON UN ROLE ON COMBATTING PIRACY REF: SECSTATE 90069 ¶1. (U) USUN Poloffs and USUN Deputy Legal Advisor delivered reftel points on June 3 to Department of Political Affairs (DPA) Somalia Chief Walid Musa Abdelkarim and UN Political Affairs Officers G. Justin Jepson and Kiyoshi Matsukawa. ¶2. (SBU) DPA Somalia Chief Abdelkarim was extremely receptive to the points delivered, explaining that many of the issues had already been addressed at the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia's (CGPCS) recent meeting in Copenhagen. Abdelkarim noted that Under-Secretary General Lynn Pascoe has designated DPA as the official focal point for all UN activities related to piracy and plans to announce this during the CGPCS's plenary in New York September 10. Abdelkarim raised the UN's offer to take over the secretariat function of the CGPCS, and said that during the upcoming plenary, DPA would like to establish a formal relationship with the current U.S. Secretariat. To facilitate information sharing on piracy amongst the various UN entities, DPA has created a coordination mechanism with four clusters - sea based, land based, regional /legal (UNODC /OLA),and criminal. UNODC is carrying out capacity building by focusing on three tasks: drafting fast-track procedures, technical vetting for legal and prosecutor requests and improving prison conditions for those prosecuted for piracy. Abdelkarim was responsive to Poloffs concerns about the duplication of the CGPCS's efforts and said that there is an outstanding need to clarify, "where the line is," to better define roles. ¶3. (SBU) In response to concerns about deconflicting the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) planned capacity-building trust fund with the International Trust Fund (ITF) to be administered by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),Abdelkarim explained that DPA has been working closely with IMO to ensure that the designs complement each other and avoid overlap. He noted that the IMO's fund is still a work-in-progress, and not yet operational. Abdelkarim encouraged the CGPCS to design the ITF's governing board to include representatives from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, IMO, the UN Country Team (UNCT), and DPA, emphasizing that UNCT is the strongest candidate given its representative's location in Nairobi and focus on pertinent issues including the root causes of piracy. ¶4. (SBU) Abdelkarim said that UNCT plans to update the CGPCS on recent piracy-related prosecutions, including the seven individuals incarcerated in Puntland. UNCT will also detail its focus on identifying investors who fund piracy operations off the coast of Somalia. According to Abdelkarim, each attempted hijacking, regardless of success, costs between US$ 3,000 and US$ 6,000 to undertake, including the cost of technology, equipment, and boats, as well as upfront payments to navigators, gunman, negotiators and coordinators who remain on land. Abdelkarim explained that the pirates themselves make only 20 to 30 percent profit from a heist, with the remainder going to the investor. He said that pirates have educated themselves on prosecution systems and have updated their tactics in response, throwing weapons overboard, for example, to hide evidence. RICE