Maritime piracy

Situation on September 4, 2008
Situation on September 3, 2008

We are continuing our efforts to obtain the release of our two countrymen as soon as possible.

Our personnel are fully mobilized, be it at the crisis center of the Foreign and European Ministry, other relevant departments, or our embassies in the region.

This kind of situation, beyond the factual elements given yesterday, a certain discretion is necessary for the very security of our compatriots.

We will however be stepping up our efforts to fight maritime piracy at the international level.

In line with the initiatives France took at the UN Security Council with several of its partners to institute the security of World Food Programme ships through Operation Alcyon and, more broadly, to coordinate international efforts in the fight against maritime piracy, we, together with Spain, presented proposals at the end of June for a European action against piracy. A decision by the 27 EU member states in this regard should be taken in the coming days.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs confirms that a yacht with two Frenchmen on board was the victim of an act of maritime piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is mobilizing in Paris and all its embassies in the region, liaising with the other relevant government departments, to obtain their release as soon as possible. M. Bernard Kouchner asked for the immediate activation of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs’ crisis centre, which this morning convened a meeting with all the relevant government departments to assess the situation.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs draws attention to the fact that in this matter discretion is essential for the efficacy of its action.

France firmly condemns this act of piracy and calls for the immediate release of the people held on the yacht. Our first concern is our compatriots’ safety.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs repeats in the strongest terms its previous warnings given on its "travel advice" website: mariners are expressly advised against all yachting in the Gulf of Aden.

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs points out that 263 acts of maritime piracy were reported in 2007, including over 30 off the Somali coast. The fight against maritime piracy is one of France’s priorities. She has recently taken several initiatives in this respect, working within the European Union and the United Nations where, on her initiative, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on 2 June this year./