The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pointed out that it has been one of the first countries affected by the phenomenon of piracy since its newly emergence especially off the Somali coast, because of the Kingdom's geographical, economic and political position. In his speech at the United Nations Security Council yesterday, the Kingdom's Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Mouallimi noted that Saudi commercial ships and oil tankers have been subjected to direct threats and some of them to repeated attacks, robbery and kidnapping. He indicated that the Kingdom welcomed the decision of United Nations Security Council (1851) for the year 2009 which led to the formation of a Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia, participated in its meetings and working groups, and contributed to its Trust Fund. Ambassador Al-Mouallimi said that the Kingdom welcomed the Security Council's action on combating piracy off Somalia's coast and the recent reduction of incidents, adding that the Somali new government needs continued support. He pointed out that the Kingdom has been working with the international community on establishing a legal framework for using contracted security personnel on board ships passing through the Horn of Africa.
