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| US unveils plan to tackle piracy | US unveils plan to tackle piracy |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has unveiled a four-point plan to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden. | US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has unveiled a four-point plan to tackle piracy in the Gulf of Aden. |
| She said an expanded international effort was needed, as well as freezing pirates' assets, and plugging gaps in the shipping industry's own defences. | She said an expanded international effort was needed, as well as freezing pirates' assets, and plugging gaps in the shipping industry's own defences. |
| Improving the situation in Somalia itself was also key, she said. | Improving the situation in Somalia itself was also key, she said. |
| Pirate attacks have increased in the past few days, including on US vessels, despite anti-piracy patrols by the US and other navies. | Pirate attacks have increased in the past few days, including on US vessels, despite anti-piracy patrols by the US and other navies. |
| The US Navy shot dead three pirates a few days ago in the rescue of a US cargo ship captain who had been taken hostage from his own ship. | |
| The captain was unhurt and a fourth pirate was captured. | |
| The French navy captured 11 pirates on Wednesday after intercepting a "mother ship" or command vessel about 550 miles (900km) off the coast of Kenya. | |
| 'No concessions' | |
| Mrs Clinton said: "We may be dealing with a 17th-Century crime, but we need to bring 21st Century assets to bear." | |
| Her four-point plan includes sending an envoy to the Somali donors conference in Brussels on 23 April to work on plans to improve the situation in Somalia. | |
| It is time to eliminate the financial payoff of piracy Hillary ClintonUS Secretary of State | |
| She said the US would work with the Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) to expand the multinational response to piracy. | |
| She called for states to take responsibility for prosecuting and imprisoning captured pirates, as well as working for the release of captured vessels. | |
| Despite the release of a Greek cargo ship and its 24 crew on Wednesday, several ships and their crews remain in the hands of pirates. | |
| She also said the international group had to consider ways to track and freeze pirate assets. | |
| "It is time to eliminate the financial payoff of piracy," she told reporters. | |
| "We will also reiterate to all concerned the US policy of making no concessions or ransom payments to hostage takers." | |
| The State Department will set up meetings with members of the Somali Transitional Federal Government and regional leaders. | |
| "We must press authorities within Somalia to take action against pirates operating from bases within their territory," Mrs Clinton said. | |
| Making clear the threat was not just an issue for governments to resolve, she said the shipping industry had a joint responsibility. | |
| "I have directed the [State] Department to work with shippers and the insurance industry to address gaps in their self-defence measures." |