US Accused of Exploiting Anti-Piracy Moves for Own Ends

Some Syrian news websites have suggested that an international initiative to end piracy off the coast of Somalia is merely a ploy to give the United States greater control in the region.



On November 22, the pro-government website Syria News criticised the United States for not protecting African waters itself, yet backing a United Nations Security Council resolution that authorised countries to fight piracy in Somalia and other areas.



In October, the Security Council voted unanimously for a French-backed resolution that urged countries to provide naval and air support for the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia; and this week it approved a British-sponsored resolution to impose sanctions on pirates, arms smugglers and other “perpetrators of instability” in Somalia.



The decisions followed a spate of seizures by Somali pirates of foreign vessels and their crews, including a Saudi-owned supertanker carrying 100 million dollars’-worth of oil.



Syria News warned that awarding foreign countries greater powers to fight piracy gives them “rights in the region at the expense of the sovereignty of Arab countries”.



It accused western nations like the United States of turning a blind eye to piracy despite their capacity to gather intelligence about these waters.



In an article on November 23, Syrian Echoes, another pro-government website, said the spate of piracy had given rise to fears that Israel might start playing more of a role in this region, using the need to protect sea routes as a pretext.



It said the US had long planned to control “African oil”, and the hijacking of the Saudi tanker helped justify an international presence in the region. It went on to say imply that Saudi Arabia might have been complicit in the seizure of its vessel, claiming that the Saudis had supported Islamic militias in Somalia and questioning why oil tankers would be sailing through the area without naval protection.



Reporting on the pirate attacks has been largely muted in Syria. The state news agency SANA reported on November 26 that Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem had discussed the issue with Tanzanian deputy foreign minister Seif Ali Iddi, but it did not go into detail.