Story by Patrick Beja
The Government has ruled out the possibility of Kenya providing arms to cargo ships crew travelling to war-torn Somalia.
Transport minister, Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere, said international protocols and conventions do not allow any country to give arms to commercial merchant ships crew.
Mwakwere dismissed calls to Government to provide arms for ships delivering food aid for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Somalia to protect the crew against armed pirates.
"The international protocols and conventions allow only naval ships to carry arms and we cannot violate this regulation," Mwakwere said.
Speaking to The Standard in Mombasa at the weekend, Mwakwere said Kenya and Somalia authorities were addressing the issue of pirates.
He also advised ship owners to install modern communication gadgets to enable crew make distress calls promptly.
The minister said even if commercial ships crew were to be armed, the issue would fall under the ministries of Defence and Internal Security.
WFP Deputy Country Director, Mr Leo van dee Velden, said arming commercial vessels crew would not stop attacks on ships.
"I think the most effective way is to arrest the pirates on land and not wait until they attack ships at sea," Velden said.
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Sources: The Standard
April 16, 2007
http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143967400
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