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O 231549Z JUL 07
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 LONDON 002834 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE IO/T FOR LAURENCE TOBEY 
L-OES FOR J. ASHLEY ROACH 
AF/E FOR N GAREY 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MARR MOPS SO UK
SUBJECT: INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORG SEEKS UNSC SUPPORT ON 
SOMALIA PIRACY 
 
REF: LONDON 02302 
 
¶1.  (SBU) International Maritime Organization 
Secretary General Mitropoulos sent a letter on July 18 
 
SIPDIS 
to Ambassador Tuttle expressing appreciation for the 
USG support at the last IMO Council meeting to address 
the worsening situation of piracy and armed robbery 
against ships in the waters off the coast of Somalia 
(reftel).  The IMO SecGen's letter also requests 
further support when the matter comes up for debate at 
the UN Security Council.  Text of letter at para 2. 
 
¶2.  (U) Text of July 18, 2007 letter from IMO 
Secretary General Mitropoulos to Ambassador Tuttle: 
 
SIPDIS 
 
18 July 2007 
 
Excellency, 
 
I have the honour to refer to the worsening situation 
of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the 
waters off the coast of Somalia and address you in the 
context of a recent request of the IMO Council that 
the matter be brought to the attention of the United 
Nations Security Council. 
 
By way of background, I would mention that, upon the 
instruction of the IMO Assembly, this matter was first 
brought to the attention of the Security Council in 
November 2005 (resolution A.979(24) refers, copy 
attached).  Subsequently, the President of the 
Security Council issued a Statement dated 15 March 
2006 (document S/PRST/2006/11 refers - in particular, 
the 11th paragraph thereof, copy attached), which must 
have certainly played a positive role in the notable 
reduction of such attacks in the past year. 
 
Regrettably, since the beginning of the current year, 
there have been renewed attacks against ships in the 
same area (especially attacks on ships carrying 
humanitarian aid, such as those operated under the 
auspices of the United National World Food Programme 
(WFP)), resulting in loss of life, hijacking of ships, 
kidnapping of innocent crew, loss of humanitarian aid 
cargoes and demands for ransom. 
 
The attackers invariably follow two patterns: 
 
- they either attack ships on the high seas, not 
unusually at considerable distances from the shore, 
allegedly making use of "mother ships"; or 
 
- they attack (and hijack) ships in Somalia's 
territorial sea, sometimes under the 
 
watchful surveillance of warships outside those 
waters, which are, however, not empowered to intervene 
for international law reasons. 
 
In the light of these worrying developments, I brought 
the issue to the attention of the IMO Council at its 
recent ninety-eighth session (25 to 29 June 2007), 
which, sharing my concerns, authorized me, through the 
UN Secretary-General: 
 
(1.)  to seek the further engagement of the United 
Nations Security Council to promote and facilitate the 
international community's efforts to combat acts of 
piracy and armed robbery against ships sailing in 
waters off the coast of Somalia and, in particular, 
ships carrying humanitarian aid to the country; and, 
more particularly, 
 
(2.)  to invite the Security Council to request the 
Transitional Federation Government of Somalia to take 
 
LONDON 00002834  002 OF 002 
 
 
action, as it may be deemed necessary and appropriate 
in the circumstances, to prevent and suppress acts of 
piracy and armed robbery against ships, including 
consenting to ships, as defined in Article 107 of the 
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (i.e. 
warships and ships on Government service), operating 
in the Indian Ocean, entering its country's 
territorial waters when engaging in operations against 
pirates or suspected pirates and armed robbers 
endangering the safety of life at sea, in particular, 
the safety of crews on board ships carrying, within 
the WFP's programme, humanitarian aid to Somalia or 
leaving Somali ports after having discharged their 
cargo. 
 
The support of your country's delegation at last 
month's IMO Council session was most heartening and, 
therefore, I should be most grateful for such further 
support when the matter comes up for debate at the 
Security Council. 
 
Because of the seriousness and urgency of the matter 
(exacerbated by the fact that, according to 
information, there are, at present, at least four 
ships, with their crew, in the hands of pirates 
operating from Somali shores), any action taken to 
alleviate the situation will be greatly appreciated. 
 
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my 
highest consideration. 
 
/s/ 
E.E. Mitropoulos 
Secretary-General 
 
SIPDIS 
 
His Excellency 
Mr. Robert H. Tuttle 
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary 
American Embassy 
24 Grosvenor Square 
London W1A 1AE 
 
End text of letter. 
 
Visit London's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/london/index. cfm 
TUTTLE