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UNCLAS STATE 066632 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EWWT MARR PGOV PHSA PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: CONTACT GROUP FOR PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF 
SOMALIA:  MOVING BEYOND MEMBERSHIP 
 
¶1.  This is an action request.  See paragraph 7. 
 
----------------- 
OBJECTIVE 
----------------- 
 
¶2.  Post,s objective is to gain agreement by current CGPCS 
participants on the participation of aspirant countries 
Canada, Cyprus, Liberia, Malaysia, Panama, and Singapore, and 
potentially other important shipping states and/or 
counter-piracy force contributors. 
 
------------------ 
REPORTING 
------------------ 
 
¶3.  Posts are requested to report reactions by July 15. 
Department points of contact are PM/PPA Donna Hopkins 
(hopkinsdl@state.sgov.gov or David Foran 
(forandm@state.sgov.gov ). 
 
---------------------- 
BACKGROUND 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.   In New York City on January 14, 2009, representatives of 
28 countries and six international organizations agreed to 
form the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia 
(CGPCS).  The inaugural communiqu stated that "The CGPCS 
offers participation to any nation or international 
organization making a tangible contribution to the 
counter-piracy effort, or any country significantly affected 
by piracy off the coast of Somalia."  No process or mechanism 
was agreed upon by which aspirants might seek to participate 
in CGPCS plenary and working group meetings. 
 
¶5.  The lack of such a process has forestalled the positive 
and productive inclusion of several countries that clearly 
meet the criteria for participation.  In addition, 
developments subsequent to the January 14 plenary have 
clearly shown that tangible contributions are not limited to 
the provision of military forces to the counter-piracy 
effort.   Specifically, three areas in addition to military 
counter-piracy patrols require the individual and collective 
efforts of all countries involved in combating piracy:  the 
vigorous promotion of self-protection measures by commercial 
shipping; the development of  compatible legal frameworks and 
the political will to facilitate prosecution in their 
domestic courts by affected states; and the development of 
regional capability and capacity to interdict, prosecute, and 
imprison the pirates that currently operate with relative 
impunity off the Horn of Africa. 
 
¶6.  The United States believes that participation by any 
country or international organization that wishes to 
participate and is able to contribute in any tangible way to 
the international effort to combat piracy is a net gain for 
our collective efforts, and that the CGPCS deliberations 
should not be impeded by unrelated political issues. 
Unfortunately, Turkey objects to the Republic of Cyprus, 
participation, and Greece objects to the admission of any new 
participant unless Cyprus is also allowed to participate. 
We must reach a resolution to this impasse in order to offer 
participation to the six aspirant countries mentioned in 
paragraph 2. 
 
¶7.   Department requests that posts in CGPCS countries 
deliver the following points at the highest appropriate level 
to explain the U.S. position on expanding participation in 
the Contact Group for Piracy off the Coast of Somalia 
(CGPCS). 
 
--The United States believes that participation in CGPCS 
proceedings should be open to any country or international 
organization meeting the objective criteria for participation 
as outlined in the January 14 communiqu. 
 
--As an informal information-sharing and voluntary 
coordinating body, the CGPCS does not have the authority to 
direct operations or take decisions with regard to national 
policies, programs, or force employment. 
 
--Participants should be free to contribute as they see fit 
to CGPCS efforts, and to abstain from those in which they 
have no interest or to which they might object. 
 
-- We believe that tangible contributions to counter-piracy 
include, among other things, the provision of military forces 
to operations off the Horn of Africa; the active promotion of 
commercial shipping self-protection; the political or 
financial facilitation of prosecution by states affected by 
piracy; financial support to regional counter-piracy and 
maritime security capacity building programs; and 
contributions to the International Trust Fund established by 
the CGPCS to support piracy prosecution and counter-piracy 
capacity building. 
 
--Notification of and invitation to CGPCS events will be made 
by the respective Chairs of plenary and working group 
meetings.  The freedom of Chairs to issue invitations 
preserves the option of governments not to invite 
participants, should particular circumstances require such 
exclusion.   (Comment:  This caveat would preserve the 
ability of a Chair, for instance, to exclude Iran, to whose 
presence France objects because of Iran,s violation of UN 
sanctions, from CGPCS meetings.  End comment.) 
 
¶8.  Department does not recommend approaching aspirant 
countries at this point.  If asked, however, posts may use 
these points: 
 
--We support the expansion of the CGPCS to include countries 
making tangible contributions to counter-piracy that include, 
among other things, military forces operating off the Horn of 
Africa; the active promotion of commercial shipping 
self-protection; the political or financial facilitation of 
prosecution by states affected by piracy; financial support 
to regional counter-piracy and maritime security capacity 
building programs; and contributions to the International 
Trust Fund established by the CGPCS to support piracy 
prosecution and counter-piracy capacity building.  This 
includes your candidacy. 
 
--However, as the CGPCS is a consensus organization, and some 
participants have raised concerns about this approach, we are 
not discussing further expansion until their concerns can be 
resolved. 
 
¶9.  Should CGPCS countries be amenable to our proposal for 
expanding participation, PM will prepare diplomatic notes for 
delivery by posts informing participants of the new criteria 
for participation and extending invitations to aspirant 
countries to participate in CGPCS meetings. 
CLINTON