U.N. group charts new course against piracy

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U.N. group charts new course against piracy
By John Heilprin - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Jan 14, 2009 21:57:04 EST

UNITED NATIONS — Twenty-four nations pledged Wednesday at a U.S.-led meeting to better coordinate their efforts against Somali piracy in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

Diplomats met privately at U.N. headquarters for the first time to talk about how to fight the rise of piracy off Somalia’s lawless coastline, where 11 vessels with 210 crew members are now in pirate hands.

“So much of this is synchronization and adding on to the great work that our sailors from, at this point, 16 different nations on the water are conducting,” the group’s chairman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Mark Kimmitt, told reporters after the nearly day-long meeting.

“We believe that 2009 will be a year where we can turn this problem around if we come together as a group of nations, working not simply the military aspect, but the judicial aspect, the financial aspect, the industry aspect,” he said.

Kimmitt, who deals with political-military affairs, told reporters that so far, officials have found “no links” showing that the pirates are working for any established terrorist groups. Most are believed to be former Somali fishermen.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2009/01/ap_un_piracy_011409/%2e