VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0816 2462254
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 032254Z SEP 09
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7146

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000816 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL SO XA KCRM UNSC PHUM PHSA EWWT
SUBJECT: SOMALIA PIRACY: DEMARCHE RESPONSE ON UN ROLE ON 
COMBATTING PIRACY 
 
REF: SECSTATE 90069 
 
¶1.   (U)  USUN Poloffs and USUN Deputy Legal Advisor 
delivered reftel points on June 3 to Department of Political 
Affairs (DPA) Somalia Chief Walid Musa Abdelkarim  and UN 
Political Affairs Officers G. Justin Jepson and Kiyoshi 
Matsukawa. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  DPA Somalia Chief Abdelkarim  was extremely 
receptive to the points delivered, explaining that many of 
the issues had already been addressed at the Contact Group on 
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia's  (CGPCS) recent meeting in 
Copenhagen.  Abdelkarim noted that Under-Secretary General 
Lynn Pascoe has designated DPA as the official focal point 
for all UN activities related to piracy and plans to announce 
this during the CGPCS's plenary in New York September 10. 
Abdelkarim  raised the UN's offer to take over the 
secretariat function of the CGPCS, and said that during the 
upcoming plenary, DPA would like to establish a formal 
relationship with the current U.S. Secretariat.  To 
facilitate information sharing on piracy amongst the various 
UN entities, DPA has created a coordination mechanism with 
four clusters - sea based, land based, regional /legal (UNODC 
/OLA), and criminal.  UNODC is carrying out capacity building 
by focusing on three tasks:  drafting fast-track procedures, 
technical vetting for legal and prosecutor requests and 
improving prison conditions for those prosecuted for piracy. 
Abdelkarim was responsive to Poloffs concerns about the 
duplication of the CGPCS's efforts and said that there is an 
outstanding need to clarify, "where the line is," to better 
define roles. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In response to concerns about deconflicting the 
International Maritime Organization's (IMO) planned 
capacity-building trust fund with the International Trust 
Fund (ITF) to be administered by the United Nations 
Development Programme (UNDP), Abdelkarim explained that DPA 
has been working closely with IMO to ensure that the designs 
complement each other and avoid overlap.  He noted that the 
IMO's fund is still a work-in-progress, and not yet 
operational.  Abdelkarim encouraged the CGPCS to design the 
ITF's governing board to include representatives from the UN 
Office on Drugs and Crime, IMO, the UN Country Team (UNCT), 
and DPA, emphasizing that UNCT is the strongest candidate 
given its representative's location in Nairobi and focus on 
pertinent issues including the root causes of piracy. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Abdelkarim said that UNCT plans to update the CGPCS 
on recent piracy-related prosecutions, including the seven 
individuals incarcerated in Puntland.  UNCT will also detail 
its focus on identifying investors who fund piracy operations 
off the coast of Somalia.  According to Abdelkarim, each 
attempted hijacking, regardless of success, costs between US$ 
3,000 and US$ 6,000 to undertake, including the cost of 
technology, equipment, and boats, as well as upfront payments 
to navigators, gunman, negotiators and coordinators who 
remain on land.  Abdelkarim explained that the pirates 
themselves make only 20 to 30 percent profit from a heist, 
with the remainder going to the investor.  He said that 
pirates have educated themselves on prosecution systems and 
have updated their tactics in response, throwing weapons 
overboard, for example, to hide evidence. 
RICE