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US has commended the recent agreement between Indonesia, Malaysia, and
Singapore to launch coordinated naval patrols represents a step forward in
combating the persistent problem of piracy in the Malacca and Singapore
Straits.
"Secure waterways are pivotal to peace and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific
region. The seas, and the resources that flow through them, must be both
shared and protected, US ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin said over the
weekend.
"We are also pleased that the United States will work closely with the
nations of Southeast Asia to host a meeting in Kuala Lumpur later this month
to enhance international cooperation to better identify and address threats
to maritime security. But we can't stop there," he said.
He said U.S. Government has been working with our partners and allies to
aggressively mobilize international efforts to fight terrorism in every
corner of the globe.
"Industry and government share a common interest in stopping terrorism, and
must work together to develop effective programs and initiatives to achieve
our objectives for a safer world," the envoy said.
"This is particularly true in the case of maritime security, where we will
need to work closely with the shipping industry to ensure that our actions
support - rather than inhibit - legitimate shipping," said Lavin.
Lavin said; "When it comes to enhancing maritime security, the U.S.
Government's goal is to develop a partnership of willing nations, in
accordance with existing international law and national sovereignty
considerations, to identify, monitor, and intercept transnational maritime
threats.
"In other words, we need to work together to identify threats to maritime
security, share that information, and allow the nation or nations directly
involved to use that shared information to take appropriate action against
those threats within the boundaries of their territorial waters," he said.
He said United States was undertaking a series of initiatives intended to
improve maritime security.
"Each of these initiatives is intended to address different aspects of the
overall challenge of preventing criminals from using the seas to move arms,
WMD-related material and delivery systems, and/or to carry out destructive
attacks," he said.
These initiatives include the Container Security Initiative, the
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Operation Safe Commerce, the
U.S. Coast Guard's International Port Security Program, and the Megaports
radiation detection initiative. |
