France and Spain decided to act on maritime piracy

(B2) France and Spain signed an agreement on June 27 in Zaragoza to fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. A project that is part of the implementation of resolution 1816 voted at the UN, on a Franco-American initiative.

Voted on June 2, the UN resolution authorizes - for a period of six months - the States which "cooperate with the transitional federal government" and will be reported to the UN General Secretariat, "to enter the territorial waters of Somalia” and “to use (…) all necessary means to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery”.

A Franco-Spanish working group will therefore be set up quickly in order to put in place by the end of July a coordination of military air and naval resources off the coast of Somalia. A Spanish warship could join the French military force already present in the Indian Ocean, according to AFP Helicopters could also be permanently based in the area.

This device is, in fact, the one improvised last April, when several boats including a French cruise ship, "Le Ponant", and a Spanish tuna, "Playa de Bakio", had been, one after the other, attacked and their crew kidnapped for several days, before being released against ransom. The French installations in Djibouti had been made available to the Spanish authorities and the Spanish frigate "Mendez Nunez" had been diverted to the area.

(NGV)