Yemen Concerned about Internationalization of Bab al Mendab
Afraid of the Americans, not the pirates, but any sort of sustained policing of the Bab al Menbad would disrupt Yemen’s block market economy. Xinhua
SANAA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) — Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has recently made a sudden visit to Jordan and Egypt to discuss rampant piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden.
Maritime officials have said the recent sudden surge in piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden, a narrow, 885 km-long stretch of water that lies between Yemen and Somalia, was unprecedented with more than 50 ships and 250 seamen been seized this year alone.
A Yemeni source said on condition of anonymity that the president’s visit to Jordan and Egypt on Oct. 1-4 leading a high ranking delegation, including Prime Minister Ali Muhammad al-Mujawa and Speaker of House of Representatives Yahia Al Ra’i, highlights Yemen’s growing fears about an American-European plan to internationalize the Red Sea.
The source said Saleh discussed with his two counterparts Yemen’s fears about intensifying multinational military presence in the southern outlet of the Red Sea and its risks on national security.
Yemen is also concerned that it will be a prelude to pass a RedSea internationalization project which was previously proposed by Israel and was sternly rejected by Arabs then, said the source.
He said President Saleh made some suggestions to counter the crisis, which had been previously discussed with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz during his visit to the kingdom recently.
Saleh’s visit is aimed at coordinating efforts among states overlooking the Red Sea in face of any possible international measure arousing from countering naval piracy as a cover for internationalization of the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and surrounding islands.
Countries overlooking the Red Sea are Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Israel.
Moreover, Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Abdullah al-Kurbi stressed the significance of coordinating efforts to counter increasing piracy in southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to guarantee international navigation safety.
He said the countries overlooking the Red Sea and Arab Sea mustshoulder responsibility and coordinate efforts to counter piracy, instead of relying on foreign countries.
What President Saleh did has displayed his eagerness to safeguard the Red Sea and Arab national security, the foreign minister said.
Somali pirates detained 13 vessels with more than 200 sailors on board, including a Ukrainian vessel loaded with 13 tanks, making the waters one of the most dangerous in the world.
In late September, UN Special Representative for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, said Somali pirates continue to pose a serious threat to free maritime trade, free navigation and international security.
Humanitarian officials have said the rising poverty levels in Somalia are fuelling the rampant piracy against merchant ships in the Horn of Africa region.
The situation is now self-stimulating with seaborne supplies of food aid being badly disrupted, thus exacerbating the needs of many starving people and facilitating further offshore lawlessness.
Some observers believe that piracy and its “fruits” have become the largest, single industry on that impoverished land.
Somali pirates, on the other hand, justify piracy as a protest to what they termed as the “harmful practices to naval environment” from international vessels.
Sanaa is scheduled to host an international meeting in October to counter piracy with participation of countries overlooking the Red Sea.
