President Michel opens maritime security symposium
‘Countries need political will for action on piracy’
A long-term solution to piracy in the Indian Ocean will mean countries having the political will to commit themselves to real action, President James Michel said yesterday.
He was addressing delegates from states and organisations worldwide after officially opening the international symposium on maritime security at Le Méridien Barbarons Hotel.
Piracy is one challenge where a long-term solution involves going beyond what has already been tried and tested, Mr Michel said, and being committed to action that goes beyond platitudes.
Around 50 delegates from various countries and organisations are meeting to discuss a comprehensive plan of action against maritime threats in the region.
Present at the opening ceremony were former President James Mancham, Vice-President Danny Faure, National Assembly speaker Patrick Herminie and chief justice Fredrick Egonda-Ntende.
Home Affairs, Environment and Transport Minister Joel Morgan – who is also the chairman of the High Level Committee on Piracy – Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Paul Adam and chief of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces Brigadier Leopold Payet were also there.
Other ministers and principal secretaries, members of the assembly and Seychelles’ ambassadors abroad were present, while delegates included high-level representatives from the European Union, the African Union, the Indian Ocean Commission, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), Interpol and the International Maritime Organisation.
Country delegations have come from the United Arab Emirates, China, India, Madagascar, Kenya, the United Kingdom and Canada.
Mr Michel told delegates: “In its modern form, piracy in the Indian Ocean is potentially one of the most disruptive forces to sustainable economic development.”
He said despite our relatively great distance from the coast of Somalia, Seychelles has been one of the states most affected by piracy.
In 2009, conservative estimates indicate a loss of 4% of our gross domestic product due to piracy, while our insurance costs have ballooned by 50%. Port and fisheries receipts have dropped by 30%.
“And we are spending over €2.3 million per year on our anti-piracy patrols and surveillance,” added Mr Michel.
He said with its limited capacity Seychelles has strived to ensure the security of its 1.3 million square kilometres of ocean by carrying out 24-hour patrols with cooperation from all partners who are able to dedicate assets in this region.
The President said the symposium gives all states and organisations present a unique chance to exchange views on three of the most pressing subject areas – improving maritime security and surveillance; ensuring the proper framework to bring prosecutions and enforce the law of the sea; and boosting the capacity of Somalia itself to play a part in preventing the scourge from spreading.
Seychelles’ maritime security plan of action is spread over a 30-year period because we are optimistic that all our partners have the will to find a durable solution, he said.
Mr Michel then thanked all those taking part in the symposium for their support which “illustrates how the security of the Indian Ocean states is inextricably linked”.
Mr Morgan said it is gratifying that the region is so well represented at the forum by island countries, coastal states and landlocked countries.
“We are here as partners in the fight against this modern scourge called piracy. Seychelles is in the front line immediately facing the onslaught of the Somali pirates, but all of us here are concerned and are affected in different ways,” he said.
He added that freedom of navigation, maritime trade and transport, fisheries and tourism are all being affected.
“This is a common fight – we all have an important role to play and a certain burden of responsibility to share. This symposium is a combination of much work and preparation by our national stakeholders and our foreign partners,” added Mr Morgan.
He said the preparation of Seychelles’ security plan has brought together those who have been adversely affected by piracy.
“It is a rolling plan and it has to be regularly reviewed as circumstances change, especially as the pirates may change tactics and adapt to counter-piracy measures we are using and the international community is also using,” he said.
In his address, Mr Adam said we must also look beyond piracy and be prepared for illegal fishing, drug trafficking, people smuggling, illegal dumping and other activities that flout the rule of law and hamper the ability of states to develop peacefully.
“Our efforts will also depend on us being able to find long-term solutions to the instability of Somalia,” he said, adding that the symposium is an opportunity for us to build our capacity together, to deter piracy and to enforce the safety of maritime zones.
During the opening ceremony delegates watched a video on the threat of piracy in Seychelles, and then the UNODC’s regional representative Loide Lungameni gave a presentation on developments at international level in the battle against pirates.
The symposium will come to an end this afternoon, after which all delegates are expected to visit the prison at Montagne Posée, the Seychelles Coast Guard base and Victoria Fishing Port.
Source: NATION 7-13-10