African Press Agency
Monday, October 13, 2008
According to the general director of the Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation ministry, Dr. Mohamed Jama Ali, although Somalia wants buccaneers to be rooted out "we are not happy with NATO’s one-sided statement which shows that the military alliance does not recognize the transitional federal government of Somalia."
The government believes that NATO’s announcement will rather help illegal fishing in Somali waters, he told APA on Monday morning during an interview.
“We asked the international community to help us reform our naval forces who will be able to wipe out piracy off the coast of Somalia. But NATO made its own decision without informing the Somali government which is responsible of the coast of the Horn of Africa,” he added.
Dr. Mohamed Jama Ali averred that though more Western warships are around the pirates’ area of activity, they are not doing anything to tackle the buccaneers’ notorious activities in Somali waters.
“We believe that the entrance of Western ships in Somali waters is a double-standard. On one hand, they are engaged in an illegal fishing and on the other they are dumping nuclear waste in our waters,” he once again said.
He pointed out that Western warships off the coast of Somalia sometimes work as brokers to facilitate buccaneers to get ransom from the owners of the ships they hijack.
Jama Ali reiterated his government’s call on the international community to assist Somalia in having its own navy in order to secure the lawless coast.
Last week, NATO military alliance said it will send 7 frigates to Somali waters to fight pirates and protect food aid ships from being abducted by pirates.
NATO’s spokesman James Appathura said on Thursday that NATO’s frigates will arrive in Somali waters within 14 days as a response to the World Food Programme’s request for more warships to escort food aid ships.
Somali has been without a functioning central government for the past 18 years while the United Nations reveals that at least 3.25 million Somalis currently need food aid.