Ban taps veteran French politician as special adviser on piracy off Somali coast

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed a French public law professor and former diplomat to advise him on legal issues surrounding piracy off the Somali coast, it was announced today.

Jack Lang, 70, has extensive experience as a policy-maker, both domestically and on a global scale, and has served as his country’s Minister of Culture and Education, as well as President of the French National Assembly’s foreign affairs committee.

He has been elected as deputy of the Assembly and as a member of the European Parliament.

Mr. Lang served as President Nicolas Sarkozy’s special envoy to Cuba in February 2009 and to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in November of that year.

In addition to his political career, Mr. Lang, a public law professor, has served in several academic legal posts.

“The international community, including the Security Council, has clearly emphasized the need to achieve and sustain substantive results in combating the scourge of piracy,” according to a UN release.

“The human, commercial and security threats posed by piracy are enormous and widespread,” it continued.

Yesterday, the Secretary-General told the Council in a meeting on the issue that there have been 139 piracy-related incidents off the coast of Somalia in the past seven months. Thirty ships have been hijacked, with 17 vessels and 450 seafarers being held for ransom.

In 2008, 111 ships were attacked, and that number nearly doubled to 217 in 2009.

“Over the past three years, the international community has made concerted efforts to combat the problem, including by establishing a Contact Group and deploying significant naval assets to the region,” he said.

“Nonetheless, we can do more,” Mr. Ban added. “In particular, we need to implement the existing legal regime, so the fight against piracy in international waters is effective.”

In a report released last week, he identified seven options for furthering the aim of prosecuting and imprisoning persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, which has been a growing problem in recent years.

The Secretary-General has requested Mr. Lang, his new Special Adviser, to identify extra measures to help States in the region and beyond to prosecute and imprison those engaged in piracy.

Mr. Ban has also asked him to look into countries’ willingness to potentially host new courts, tribunals or chambers to prosecute and imprison those responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia.

In his new role, Mr. Lang will work closely with the UN Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and the Department for Political Affairs (DPA).

In a related development, the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS) and others jointly spoke out against the “ongoing assault” against the people of the capital, Mogadishu, carried out by the Islamist militant group known as Al-Shabaab.

Violence in Mogadishu has led to some 3,000 conflict-related casualties so far this year and uprooted around 200,000 people from the city, which has been the scene of ongoing clashes between Government troops and armed groups.

“This brutal offensive is being conducted on several fronts,” according to the statement by UNPOS, Norway, the United States, the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the European Union (EU), the InterGovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the League of Arab States.

“It includes both the illegal blockading of food and humanitarian assistance as well as the cold-blooded murder of innocent Somali citizens as witnessed in the attack on the Muna hotel, which caused so many civilian deaths,” it continued.

According to media reports, that attack in Mogadishu involved Somali insurgents dressed as police officers, who stormed the hotel and opened fire, and later blew themselves up. At least 30 civilians, including Members of Parliament, were reportedly killed.

The offensive under way, coinciding with the holy month of Ramadan, “demonstrates a complete disregard for human life and Somali culture,” the statement stressed, voicing particular concern over the presence of foreign fighters collaborating with Al-Shabaab.

“The insurgents will not, however, succeed,” it said. “The peace process will continue in Somalia despite the attempts of a violent minority to stop it.”