UK aims to step up int'l action on Somalia
LONDON Nov 28 (Reuters) - Britain will seek to build consensus on measures to tackle instability and piracy in Somalia, such as improved humanitarian aid and economic support, when it hosts a major international conference next February. The meeting, to be hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron, will be held on Feb. 23 in London, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Monday.
"Now is the time, we believe, to seek intensified international action on Somalia," Hague told parliament. "That country is a scene of great human suffering, but is also a base of piracy and terrorism, which exacerbate the country's plight and threaten our own security." A fleet of foreign naval vessels patrols strategic sea lanes off Somalia, where pirates prey on commercial vessels and private yachts and hold them for ransom.
http://af.reuters.com/article/kenyaNews/idAFL5E7MS48R20111128