MANAMA, Dec 14: Piracy in the Gulf of Aden will only be defeated by a strong government in Somalia, the commander of the French naval operation in the Indian Ocean said on Sunday.

“We will not end this phenomenon unless we have a Somali government that has the means to act on its territory to fight piracy,” Vice-Admiral Gerard Valin said on the sidelines of a regional security conference organised by Bahrain and the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).

Valin also hailed the European Union naval mission in the Gulf of Aden as a major step in battling the surge in attacks and hijackings by ransom-hunting Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, a crucial trade route used by 12 per cent of the world’s maritime trade and 30 per cent of its oil.

“It is really a leap forward, since this is the first time that a coalition has been formed with the mission of fighting piracy,” he said.

The EU mission Atalante, a coalition that groups eight EU countries, began operations off the coast of Somalia on Dec 8 to try to stem the growing piracy, including the hijacking of a Saudi supertanker last month.

Yemeni Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Hassan said at the conference on Sunday that his country was prepared to provide full support within the framework of UN resolutions.

Yemen shares the Gulf of Aden with Somalia.

Ahmad al-Kibsi, a political science professor at the University of Sanaa who attended the conference, said his country alone, or even aided by its neighbours, would not be able to fight off the pirates. “We need international support,” Kibsi said.

Somali pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean since the start of this year.

Speaking at the conference on Saturday, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates acknowledged the difficulties of fighting piracy in a region which covers more than one million square kms.

“We are dealing with an area of approximately one million square miles.

It’s three times the size of the Gulf of Mexico,” Gates said. “I believe with the level of information that we have now we are not in a position to do that kind of attack on a land-based source of piracy.”

The pirates still hold at least 15 foreign vessels and more than 300 crew members.

NATO has also dispatched naval forces to the region, joining other national navies in place, but increasingly bold and well-equipped pirates have continued their attacks.—AFP