UN to host Somalia piracy conference

UN: The United Nations said Tuesday that it would host a two-day international conference in Nairobi this week to discuss how to combat rampant piracy off Somalia.

UN spokeswoman Michele Montas said the UN special representative for Somalia, Nairobi-based Ahmedou Ould Abdallah, confirmed that the parley in the Kenyan capital would bring together some 140 officials from 40 countries Wednesday and Thursday.

Abdallah said the meeting would begin with a meeting of technical experts on Wednesday, followed the next day by a ministerial session with Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki as keynote speaker.

"It is clear that the problem of piracy is linked to the need for peace and stability in Somalia itself," Ould-Abdallah said. "We hope that this high-level conference will lead to greater international attention and cooperation between countries, regional and international organizations."

The conference coincides with the launch of the European Union's Operation Atalanta, an anti-piracy task force seeking to protect merchant ships from pirate attacks, off Somalia.

Last week, the UN Security Council urged all countries and regional organizations with the necessary capacity to deploy naval ships and military aircraft off the Somali coast to fight piracy which is impeding UN efforts to feed millions of hungry civilians in the lawless, strife-torn country.

UNITED NATIONS, Wednesday, AFP