France – Yemen to Build Harbour on Perim Island
Yemen offers its Perim island for NATO-led anti-piracy fleet
Sanaa, 21 February – As NATO is expanding into the Red Sea and towards the Horn of Africa, the improvised naval and military base in Djibuti is perceived to be insufficient. French sources now revealed that French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner and Yemen’s President Ali Abdullah Saleh agreed to build an artificial port on Yemen’s Perim island, to harbour the international NATO-led naval forces that have been tasked by the United Nations Security Council with future large-scale and enduring anti-piracy missions. The Yemeni Perim island has been chosen for its strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti. Bernard Kouchner is expected to arrive in Djibouti tomorrow for talks with the local government and that of Somalia about a future coordination between their executive forces and the newly to be allocated international anti-piracy mission
SANAA (AFP) — Yemen and France are planning an artificial harbour off Yemen’s Perim island to help the international campaign against piracy in the region, a French diplomat said on Saturday.
Speaking after French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner met Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, the diplomat said: “This anchorage will facilitate the missions” of vessels helping in the counter-piracy fight.
France, Yemen and Djibouti are preparing a letter of intent on an “agreement in principle” to create the harbour at Perim, which lies in a strategic location at the entrance to the Red Sea between Yemen and Djibouti, the diplomat added.
Kouchner said he and Saleh explored ways their countries can join forces to battle against high-seas piracy.
“We had very sincere talks,” that centred on increasing visits to Yemeni ports by foreign ships battling piracy and on helping train coastguards, the French foreign minister said.
“We must look at stepping up regional cooperation to avoid security problems,” said Yemeni Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Kurbi, noting that humble fishermen have been targeted by foreign vessels on counter-piracy operations.
Yemen wants to create an operations coordination centre, since we “must help the fishermen to earn their living,” Kurbi said. The country currently operates only a small anti-piracy monitoring centre.
Yemen will allow foreign warships to chase suspect vessels into its territorial waters, on a case by case basis and when Yemen is unable to act itself, a French diplomatic source said.
It is “progress compared to a few months ago,” the source added.
Kouchner is expected in Djibouti on Sunday for talks with the presidents of Djibouti and Somalia.
More than 130 ships were attacked in the area in 2008 alone.
The heavily armed pirates operate high-powered speedboats and sometimes hold ships for weeks before releasing them for large ransoms paid by governments or shipowners.
They are estimated to have raked in 120 million dollars in ransom money last year.
