Ambassador Abdel Hamid Marzouk, the man in charge of the Horn of Africa at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Al-Masry Al-Youm that Egypt condemned piracy and backed all international and regional actions to counter it. However, he said Cairo rejected any decisions that could impose specific measures on the Red Sea, as this area is not affected by this phenomenon. "No act of piracy has ever happened in the Red Sea and the countries bordering it can protect their own coasts from any acts of this kind" he affirmed. Concerning the efforts to curb piracy off the Somali coasts, he said Cairo wanted there to be coordination among all expected efforts and initiatives through relevant international regulations and UN resolutions, in respect of the principle of countries' sovereignty over their lands and territorial waters and their responsibility for protecting them. Marzouk said the best way to counter piracy consisted in adopting collective procedures and achieving coordination among all initiatives, so that all concerned parties might cooperate. He also said that, within the framework of Egyptian's contribution to fighting piracy, Egypt has recently taken part in a meeting of the international Contact Group on Piracy. He affirmed the Group includes Egypt and other 20 countries concerned with this problem as well as international and regional organizations, such as the UN and the International Maritime Organization. According to Marzouk, Egypt is convinced that the phenomenon is linked to the deteriorating situation in Somalia, pointing out that anti-piracy international efforts had to be parallel to efforts aimed at solving the Somali problem. "We're concerned with Somalia as it is an Arab and African country. We also back all international and regional efforts to support the peace process in Somalia" he affirmed. Marzouk also said Egypt backed a comprehensive reconciliation among Somalia's conflicting parties. Finally, he pointed out that international and regional efforts are currently being made to discuss how to fill the vacuum that will be left by the Ethiopian forces after they have pulled out of Somalia.
