The US Navy has led international patrols to combat piracy along Somalia's 1,880-mile coast, the longest in Africa and near key shipping routes connecting the Red Sea with the Indian Ocean. Wracked by more than a decade of violence and anarchy, Somalia does not have a navy, and a transitional government formed in 2004 with UN help has struggled to assert control.
A spokesman for the transitional government, Abdi Hagi Gobdon, welcomed French and US efforts to combat piracy and guard the country's coastline.
The transitional government "is not in position to safeguard the country's waters," he told the AP yesterday. "Therefore, Somalia welcomes and encourages the initiative of the US and France to establish international forces to combat pirates along the Somali coastline."
It was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the al-Khaleej, which originated from the United Arab Emirates and was carrying food bound for Somalia when it was seized Monday. Authorities did not announce the ship had been seized until after security forces had stormed it and rescued the hostages.
The United States and France are drafting a UN resolution that would allow countries to chase and arrest pirates off Somalia's coast, responding to a spate of attacks, including this week's hijacking of a Spanish tuna boat.
France's UN ambassador, Jean-Maurice Ripert, said the resolution would authorize foreign governments to pursue pirate vessels into territorial waters, make arrests, and prosecute suspects.
Countries in the region are also deeply concerned. Last week, 13 nations from the western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea agreed to a draft proposal that calls for sharing and reporting information on piracy and prosecuting those involved.
Chris Trelawny, head of security at the UN's International Maritime Organization, which organized the meeting in Tanzania, said the solution to Somalia's piracy problem is "not at sea. It is the restoration of law and order in that country."
