Expert: Piracy is symptom of crisis in Somalia

massive deployment of foreign navies to the vital shipping lane off the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden has so far failed to slow the rate of pirate attacks, with new ships taken almost daily, according to maritime executive Christopher Hayman.He said most commentators agreed that piracy was merely the symptom of a real crisis - the political collapse of Somalia.“The solution may not be about sending navies to combat piracy but ending the long-standing civil war in the country which has given rise to this maritime lawlessness,” said the chairman of Seatrade, organiser of the Seatrade Middle East Maritime 2008 exhibition and conference taking place in Dubai the middle of this month.,,more..http://thestar.com.my/maritime/story.asp?file=/2008/12/8/maritime/2736416&sec=maritime The operation to counter Somali pirates is scheduled for Dec. 8
http://www.dhpower.net/the-operation-to-counter-somali-pirates-is-scheduled-for-dec-8/
Limited blockade can thwart Somali pirates
http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081208/OPINION/812080339/1028/OPINION02
Somalia: Pirate Outlaws, Outlaw State

An almost perfect metaphor for one of the world’s greatest threats came sailing out of the front pages of the world’s newspapers a couple of weeks ago. A Saudi supertanker, the MV Sirius Star with $100 million in oil aboard, had been hijacked by a small band of Somali pirates likely armed with not much more than AK-47s and rocket propelled grenades.The piracy is a symbol of the anarchy in Somalia and other failed states that has made even the smallest and most primitive lands a threat to the most powerful and sophisticated nations. more..http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=29811

Press Statement by Department of State Deputy

Spokesman Adam Ereli

The United States welcomes the recent efforts of Members of Parliament in Mogadishu and Jowhar, backed by Somali civil society, to reinitiate dialogue across the divisions of the Somalia Transitional Federal Institutions. The November 15 and 29 resolutions of parliamentarians in Mogadishu and Prime Minister Gedi's efforts to convene the Council of Ministers are important vehicles through which Somali leaders might seek to resolve their differences.
The United States supports the Transitional Federal Institutions and calls upon all Somali leaders to take concrete steps toward reaching agreement through inclusive dialogue. The United States looks forward to a meeting of the full Council of Ministers and a successful and representative session of the Transitional Federal Parliament as a means of resolving existing disagreements within the framework established by the Transitional Federal Charter.http://nairobi.usembassy.gov/archive_051208.html