UN urges enhanced campaign against piracy off Somali coast

Sep 10, 2009, 18:08 GMT

New York - The United Nations on Thursday called for a continued fight against piracy, which has increased in frequency despite deterrent actions by the navies of major nations and NATO.

Proposals to fight piracy include the establishment of a tribunal to prosecute pirates and the sharing of information among concerned parties as pirates have gained more sophisticated means and targeted big ships and tankers on the high seas.

Japan, which holds the chairmanship of a 28-nation contact group on piracy, held a session at UN headquarters on Thursday to discuss its work. The group is backed by the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, the UN, NATO and the International Maritime Organization.

'As a matter of principle, policy and practice, the UN remains committed to addressing the problem of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia in all its aspects,' said Joao Honwana, who heads the African division in the UN Political Affairs department.

Honwana said the UN has offered legal assistance to countries that want to prosecute pirates.

He asked the contact group to establish a sub-group focusing on land-based initiatives to combat the root causes of piracy.

The periodic sessions on piracy have been held this year to work out measures involving justice. But a final decision is not to be expected soon.

The UN Security Council has authorized states to take measures to fight piracy on land and off the Somali coast. The world's eight most industrialized nations voiced support for the anti-piracy fight when they held their G8 summit at L'Aquila, Italy in July.

Germany and Russia have called for the 'prompt and adequate prosecution' of captured pirates as an indispensable condition for ending piracy. The two countries proposed an international tribunal with authority to prosecute not only pirates but also their organizers on land.