Cameron warns the world can't ignore Somalia as plan is drawn up to send aircraft carrier to tackle pirates and terrorists

Daily Mail
Thursday, February 23, 2012

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David Cameron has warned the world will 'pay a price' if it ignores the plight of Somalia as Britain draws up plans to fight pirates and terrorists there.

The Prime Minister said today it was in the interests of the international community to help restore stability after two decades of turmoil.

Opening an international conference in London on the crisis-stricken east African state, he said: 'These problems in Somalia don't just affect Somalia. They affect us all.'

'In a country where there is no hope, chaos, violence and terrorism thrive. Pirates are disrupting vital trade routes and kidnapping tourists.

'Young minds are being poisoned by radicalism, breeding terrorism that is threatening the security of the whole world.

'If the rest of us just sit back and look on, we will pay a price for doing so.'

Representatives of more than 50 countries and international organisations are attending the high-level event at Lancaster House.

They include United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and the leaders of neighbouring African nations.

Mr Cameron also called for further action against the Somali pirates, calling for the creation of an international taskforce on ransoms.

'Let's set the ultimate ambition of stopping these payments because in the end they only ensure that crime pays,' he said.

He said that Britain, Denmark, Norway, the United Arab Emirates and the Netherlands were setting up a local stability fund to provide support from previously neglected regions - including those emerging from terrorist control.

At the same the UK was providing a further £51million over the next three years to support Somalia refugees who fled the country for neighbouring Kenya and Ethiopia.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the London conference the U.S. is committing an additional 64million dollars (£40.7million) to humanitarian assistance to the Horn of Africa.

The pledge brings total U.S. emergency aid to the famine-stricken area to 934million dollars (£594million) since the start of 2011, with 211million dollars (£134million) of that money going towards life-saving programmes in Somalia, she said.

Earlier, it was revealed Britain has drawn up plans to send an aircraft carrier, Apache attack helicopters and Royal Marines to fight pirates and terrorists in the war-torn country.

David Cameron will announce that the UK is more than doubling military funding to the country from £5million to £13million.

But he has also secretly examined proposals to launch air strikes on al-Shabab Islamic extremists who are linked to Al Qaeda and control one third of the country.

Somali piracy threatens international shipping, with 400 vessels attacked and more than 100 hijacked in the last three years.

Britain and other EU nations have even considered launching airstrikes against the al Shabab militant group, which is linked to Al Qaeda, the Guardian reported.

Foreign Secretary William Hague announced last night that Britain will fund a new £550,000 intelligence centre in the Seychelles to co-ordinate action against Somali pirates.

Mr Hague said the operation will 'allow the international community to target the king-pins of piracy and ensure piracy does not pay.

He added: 'For too long, the international community has focused its efforts on the young desperate men who are sent out to sea, without seeking to hold to account those who finance and enable huge pirate operations.'

Britain is also providing £150,000 through the UN to help create a maritime security co-ordination office in a stable part of Somalia to co-ordinate action on the ground against the pirates.

But unseen at the summit, Mr Cameron’s National Security Council has examined plans drawn up by the Ministry of Defence to escalate British involvement in the conflict.

No decisions have been made but among options are sending the aircraft carrier Ocean, a ‘mix of helicopters’, which could include the Apaches that took on Colonel Gaddafi’s forces in Libya, and ‘boots on the ground’.

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