Brussels, 27/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament has approved a common resolution by the S&D, EPP, ALDE, CRE and EFD groups on a political solution to piracy in Somalia. According to Parliament, which adopted the text by a large majority (479 for, 96 against and 54 abstentions), the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia will not be effective until the underlying causes of piracy have been eradicated. These causes lie in poverty and the failure of the state. MEPs call on the Council to set a new ESDP mission in place after a detailed examination of the situation, in parallel to Operation EU NAVFOR Atalanta (EU-led operation to combat piracy), which would contribute to training the security forces of Somalia's Federal Transitional Government (FTG). They also consider that the strategy conducted by Operation Atalanta should be continued and the means available to this European force stepped up until a political solution is found to the problem of the state of Somalia's reliability. The obvious weakness in the face of the pirates and the lack of necessary coercive measures to prosecute and detain pirates can but cause a rise in the number of attacks, MEPs say. They invite member states to study the possibility of training crew members and fishermen to prepare them for possible hostage taking and to study the possibility of sending military forces on board cargo vessels and fishing boats. Members of the House also call on member states to ensure that all their vessels navigating in the high-risk zone are registered with the central agency for coordination of maritime security, which will allow them to be informed of threats and security measures. They deplore the fact that only 35% to 40% of all vessels benefit from this possibility and invite the other ships to come into line with this EU NAVFOR recommendation. The resolution also calls on the United Nations and the European Commission to carry out an in-depth inquiry on the rejection of toxic waste and on illegal fishing off the Somali coast, and to support efforts deployed to bring the perpetrators of such crimes to justice. (A.By./transl.jl)