Spain and France call for summit on Somalia

Spain and France will call for an international conference on Somalia as the two European countries step up their joint struggle against terrorism, piracy and drug smuggling, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spanish prime minister, said on Tuesday.
Mr Zapatero, standing next to Nicolas Sarkozy, French president, after a bilateral summit in Madrid, said the aim was not only to tackle piracy against cargo ships off the Somali coast “which is afflicting both our countries and others”, but also to find a comprehensive solution to Somalia’s broader economic and security problems. European and other navies, including Spain’s, have increased patrols by air and sea to quell the surge of pirate raids on cargo ships off the Horn of Africa, although years of overfishing by EU vessels is said to be at least one of the reasons for rising poverty and insecurity in the region.
In the past few days, Somali pirates have mounted two attacks more than 500 miles from Somalia’s coast.
Mr Sarkozy and Mr Zapatero insisted they had put any personal differences behind them following reported remarks by the French president at a Elysée palace dinner implying that Mr Zapatero was not intelligent even if he was politically savvy.
“Did we speak of it? No,” said Mr Sarkozy, dismissing the reports as tawdry French politicking. “Does it interest us? No. Did we turn the page? We didn’t even open the book.” But he concluded with a flourish, indicating Mr Zapatero: “That doesn’t mean I don’t think he’s brilliant.”..more..http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f406fd08-3413-11de-9eea-00144feabdc0.html