CAIRO: Egypt is to host an international emergency anti-piracy conference bringing together an unprecedented number of officials and experts in Cairo in May, the organizers said on Thursday.
An emergency summit has been organized… with the government of Egypt, Somalia, Djibouti, Yemen, Jordan, Panama, Malaysia, international agencies and industry leaders, Phoenix Intelligence Support Services said in a statement.
The organizers described the meeting as a summit although it was not clear how many heads of state or government would attend the event on May 27.
Extended working groups will continue their work on May 28 and 29.
The meeting will bring together an unprecedented group of top level government and private sector decision makers and experts from key government agencies, anti-piracy unit director William Fielding was quoted as saying.
Attendees include major shipping, insurance, security and policy experts to present immediate short term solutions, as well as long term policy models, to combat the growing scourge of criminal piracy.
The meeting will bring together for the first time key decision makers and experts with real solutions, that will be reflected on the sea, as well as on the ground, within a very short period of time, Fielding said.
Somali pirates are currently holding at least 16 ships and more than 250 seamen for ransom. Attacks surged this month as calm seas allowed them to approach their prey more easily and dodge the increasing naval presence in the region.
Last year Somali pirates took control of about 50 ships in the area, prompting the international community to send some 20 warships to patrol the sea lanes between the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the east African coast. -AFP
