As the President of the so called Republic continues to be quite on this International crisis that has captured all International headlines since Wednesday, The President of Puntland today came out with his cabinet and held a Press conference on the issue.
11 April 2009
The Government of Puntland State of Somalia wishes to express its deep regret with regard to the continuation of pirate attacks off the Somali coast, especially around the Puntland region.
The Puntland Government is also genuinely sorry about the protracted piracy problem that is getting out of control and quickly getting out of proportion. The newly elected President of Puntland, Dr. Abdirahman Mohamed Mohamud (Farole), wishes to express his concern for the innocent victims and their families who are held hostage by pirate gangs.
The President also wishes to express his deep concern for the hijacking of ships, its impact on global trade and the damaging of the reputation and integrity of Somalia, including Puntland region. The piracy problem is not limited only ship hijackings and ransom payments, but causes many local problems such as criminality, violence and corrupts the culture.
The Puntland Government wishes to reiterate its commitment to combating piracy and to re-instituting basic governance structures, such as a strong security force. However, the Government has many limitations in terms of financial resources, military capacity and legal framework to combat this problem. Today, piracy is a well-organized and sophisticated criminal enterprise that may have international connections. The pirates are more daring, highly equipped and therefore a dangerous development to global trade.
Piracy off the Somali coast is now a local, national, regional and global issue that has been exasperated by the continuous payment of ransom by interested parties. The Puntland Government policy is strongly against ransom payment practices. However, the Government acknowledges that poverty, unemployment and protracted civil war in Somalia breeds and fuels organized piracy and the Government recognizes that the problem demands a comprehensive approach.
The Puntland Government wishes to underscore that the international community's response to the piracy problem by spending massive resources and deploying warships off the Somali coast has not stopped pirate attacks.
Puntland constitutes a geopolitically strategic territory for regional and international trade and security, being located at the very tip of the Horn of Africa region. Therefore, the Government of Puntland State of Somalia appeals for mutual cooperation between the international community and the local government because this is an alternative and more effective option to fight this problem.
Once again, the new Government of President Abdirahman Farole reiterates its commitment to fight piracy by cooperating with international partners, strengthening local governance structures such as the security forces and empowering coastal communities to lead the effort against the phenomenon of piracy.
Lastly, the Government calls on the international community to come on the ground in Puntland to discuss this global issue with the local government to reach a lasting and concrete solution. "In other words bring your check Books and lets talk $$$" clap