Rome (ANSA) –  Italy will host a conference next month on stabilising Somalia and combating piracy off its coast, Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini announced on Wednesday.

The problem of piracy can only be resolved, Frattini observed, ”by helping Somalia consolidate its fragile government,” which is currently battling an offensive by hardline Islamic rebels.

To this aim, he continued, ”Italy has made a political decision” to organise a summit in Rome dedicated entirely to Somalia with representatives of the Somali government ”and all groups and factions which are part of the Somali government and opposition”.

”The June 10 meeting will also see the participation of all organizations which can help indicate how Somalia can be bolstered to be able to defeat piracy,” he added. In this way, Frattini explained, ”we can get to the root of piracy and defeat a phenomenon which is becoming increasingly aggressive”.

Frattini made his remarks at a conference marking European Sea Day which aside from piracy also focused on illegal immigration.

The UN-backed government of President Sharif Ahmed controls only parts of Somalia and not even all of the capital Mogadishu, while rebels control the southern part of the country and several routes to the north.

Piracy has been able to flourish in Somalia because of the lack of an effective government.

Most of the pirates are located in the northeast region of Puntland where the influx of ransom money has created an economic boom for the local population.

Ransom from captured ships last year is reported to have netted the pirates some $80 million.

Source: ANSA, May 20, 2009

Comments

comments