Ben Lung Zong Han 4p1-MUN Delegation of Iran

Iran-Somalia ties Economic relationship  Shares an indirect economic relationship  One of Iran’s primary shipping routes runs through the Arabian Sea and by Somalia via the Gulf of Aden

Iran-Somalia ties Political / diplomatic relationship  Despite these difficulties, Iran and Somalia have explored political ties in recent years.  In July 2008, Iran and Somalia discussed Somali political developments and bilateral cooperation

Iran-Somalia ties Military relationship  Try to protect shipping interest by deploying navy boats to patrol around the area  Mainly to protect oil tankers ( oil is vital for Iran’s economy )  Directed military excercises near Somalia

Military Diplomatic Actions taken

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Combat piracy  In late 2008 and early 2009  July 2009, Iran sent two warships to Somalia’s coast and the Gulf of Aden in an attempt to protect oil cargo ships

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Diplomacy  July 2008, Iran and Somalia discussed Somali political developments and bilateral cooperation  Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki offered to mediate an ongoing Somali political conflict involving several internal Somali political factions

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Diplomacy  In April Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki joined representatives from the European Union, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other international donors - Discuss Somali security and humanitarian issues

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Diplomacy  In March Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki attended a four-way meeting between Iran, Kenya, Somalia and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) - Raise regional and global awareness about Somalia’s political situation

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Military  Indirect military exposure given the mutual security and shipping interests off the Somali coast in the Gulf of Aden  Iran directed warships near the Somali coast

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Military  May In response to Somali pirate activity, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations presented a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon - Outlining Iran’s intention to send two warships to the Somali coast and the Gulf of Aden to confront the pirates and protect Iranian commercial interests.

Iran-Somalia ties Actions taken – Military  In July Iran deployed two warships to the Gulf of Aden

Situation analysis Political instability Civil unrest Economic problems Shortage of funds Due to economic problems & civil unrest Insufficient funds for anti- piracy campaigns

Situation analysis Piracy issue  Piracy have been rampant near the coast of Somalia since the second civil war in Somalia ( early 21 st century )  Increasing threat posed by piracy also caused significant concerns to many states (eg. India ) as multiple shipping trade routes pass through the Gulf of Aden

Situation analysis Piracy issue  In recent years ( mainly 2007 – 2009 ), many countries & international organisations have offered to help ease the piracy situation in Somalia  Eg. Russia, Singapore, UN, Maritime Peace org., India, EU, etc

Situation analysis Piracy issue  Despite the increase in actions taken, the piracy rate has inflated, as an increasing number of ships are being held hostage or robbed  Some pirates claimed that they take on piracy to protect Somalian waters as MNCs are dumping waste into the waters, destroying the fishing industry at Somalian coasts

Situation analysis Political instability  Excessive amounts of political instability during the past decade  Somalia's transformation into an independent state was peaceful in the beginning but is soon erupted into a violent conflict

Situation analysis Political instability  In 1969 Abdi Rashid Ali Shirmarke, Somalia's second President, was assassinated and in the following days a military coup, led by Major General Muhammed Siyad Barre, tgained control of the country  In 1970 Barre declared Somalia to be a socialist state

Situation analysis Political instability  Somalia experiences many economic problems  Native clans in Somalia are constantly fighting with their foes ( to gain wealth by taking control of land )  Internal stability will give rise to peace ( no pirates too )

Situation analysis Political instability  Since independence in 1960, Somalia did have a well working parliamentary democracy for the first nine years ( note the word FIRST )  Historical Somali values and acquired Western practices ( due to colonization ) appeared to coincide, thus causing conflicting parties

Situation analysis Political instability  With political instability in Somalia, unrests are prone to happen which will affect & deter business or investments in the area.  Unemployment rates will rise as many companies will choose to relocate

Situation analysis Political instability  Trade and economy is also severely affected by the political instability  When people are poor, they will turn to desperate ways to get $$$  Robberies, PIRACY will become rampant  Vicious cycle

Situation analysis Shortage of funds  Political instability deters foreign investors and MNCs from investing in Somalia  With insufficient funds, Somalia is less unable to deal the piracy issue effectively

Proposed solutions Multi-national cooperation Maintaining internal peace and stability in Somalia Provision of fundsMilitary actions Proposed solutions

Maintaining internal stability  Foreign involvement from various countries has intensified a 19 year-old internal conflict in Somalia  Somali stability will come from internal political reconciliation.  Successful counterinsurgency relies on a peaceful diplomatic process

Proposed solutions Maintaining internal stability  Iran pledges to support establishment of peace and security in Somalia

Proposed solutions Maintaining internal stability  Iran will push for legal Somali government  Stable government which Somalians trust  Iran offers to mediate the ongoing Somali political conflict involving several internal Somali political factions

Proposed solutions Multi-national cooperation  United we stand, divided we fall  Combating piracy is best done when all states join forces  Iran proposes a multi-state conference to discuss on how to curb piracy using indirect intervention ( no direct foreign intervention into Somalian government )

Proposed solutions Multi-national cooperation  Proposed resolutions will be put into action effectively  Unison in prosecuting pirates  Help send stern message to pirates that their actions are not tolerated  Multi-states work hand in hand

Proposed solutions Multi-national cooperation  Successful attacks have fallen from a high of 63 percent in 2007 to 34 percent in 2008 to 24 percent in 2009  This decrease is due to the increased international cooperation

Proposed solutions Multi-national cooperation  Countries in the region ( of Somalia ) help one another strengthen their judicial systems  Promote the rule of law -- a "win-win" proposition that can both help to combat piracy and yield significant long-term benefits for stability in the wider region  Iran too proposes other states to support the Somali-led Djibouti Peace Process and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government

Proposed solutions Provision of funds  Build a trust fund to help prosecute pirates  Funds are needed to combat against piracy  Since power states like the US, Britain and France are already spending lots of money on the war on terror  Iran proposes that other states ( eg. Egypt, China, Spain, Yemen, Sudan, etc… ) to do their part in combating piracy by funding the anti- piracy campaigns

Proposed solutions Provision of funds  Iran proposes to provide funds and work with Maritime Organization and the shipping industry  Develop simple, cost-effective self-protection measures that individual vessels can take to deter would-be attackers  Iran also proposes to fund the Somalian government’s efforts in combating piracy

Proposed solutions Military actions  Iran proposes that countries send their own warships to “escort” their own merchants ships, to ward off pirates from attacking ( esp. oil tankers )  Military operations should also be deployed to free ships which have fallen under the control of the pirates

Proposed solutions Military actions  Iran too proposes to provide security in Iraq, by dispatching the MV McArthur, a 183-foot vessel with a crew of 14 and a helicopter pad, to the Gulf of Aden to provide escort services  Other states should also help seize pirate suspects to try hamper the network of operations of the pirates

Conclusion  Problem will be solved through internal conflict resolution  However, multinational cooperation is still needed for this to go smoothly  Under aid, not intervention, we can ensure that the Somalian Govt will gain the trust of its people again