Miliband: Piracy is a scourge
2008-11-19 20:33
Beirut - Visiting British Foreign Secretary David Miliband denounced on Wednesday the "scourge" of piracy in the Gulf of Aden where ships have increasingly been falling victim to bandits.
"Piracy is a scourge wherever it appears," Miliband said as he wrapped up a Middle East tour that took him to Israel, the West Bank, Syria and Lebanon. "At the moment the scourge is focused at the Gulf of Aden.
"It is important that the whole world recognises that it is a threat to trade and prosperity."
He added that Britain next month would be leading the European Union's foreign defence policy group that is using European military and naval assets to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
"That (group) will be commanded by a Royal Navy ship which will provide the headquarters for the European operation" Miliband said.
His comments came after an Indian warship destroyed a pirate "mother vessel" in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday and as bandits demanded a ransom for a Saudi super-tanker seized in the most daring sea raid yet.