Russia’s UN initiative on piracy welcomed |09 September 2010

UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, UN legal counsel Patricia O’Brien and a wide range of delegations from foreign states took part.

A press release from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs – forwarded by the Russian embassy in Seychelles – said that in his speech Mr Ban noted the size of the threat from piracy.

He specifically called on the international community to further enhance anti-piracy efforts, which will require political and financial commitment from member states.
 
In his assessment, the chief objective continues to be to achieve comprehensive normalisation in Somalia, and he stressed that the existing international legal framework is sufficient to effectively combat piracy.

During talks at the meeting, the Security Council gave a high evaluation to the report prepared by the UN Secretariat on possible options to improve the methods of bringing pirates to justice, and submitted in furtherance of the Russian-initiated Resolution 1918.

It was described as a solid base for future work in this regard.

The Russian side underlined the need for a comprehensive approach towards piracy off the coast of Somalia, and for long-term solutions to the problem of pirates’ impunity.

 Russia’s unfailing support for the formation of an international judicial mechanism at regional level to complement national systems was confirmed.

At the end of the meeting, delegates unanimously decided that tackling tasks in the area of justice was a key guideline for increasing the effectiveness of the international anti-piracy coalition.
 
Russia’s initiative to hold the Security Council meeting on piracy was greatly appreciated.

  Resolution 1918 – and the official statement of its President adopted at the end of the meeting – were deemed a fitting response of the council in the sphere of prosecuting pirates, and laid the basis for the further progress of Russian initiatives in the anti-piracy drive.

In general, the thorough exchange of views held in the UN Security Council on combating piracy was a notable and significant step forward.

 The international community is set to further intensify efforts in this field, including by bringing pirates to justice.