19 December 2006
United States Seeks To Help Improve Security in Gulf of Guinea
State's Frazer addresses maritime conference; Bush meets Benin's president
Washington -- The United States has increased its military presence in the Gulf of Guinea, but a senior American diplomat says the United States’ primary goal there is supporting West African leaders and organizations seeking to improve regional security.
“Our goal is to nourish strategic partners, whether they are individual nations or regional and subregional organizations,” Jendayi Frazer, assistant secretary of state for African affairs, said during a recent regional maritime security conference in Cotonou, Benin, sponsored in part by the U.S. government.
Maritime security is crucial to U.S. trade in the Gulf of Guinea, and West African nations can improve international investment significantly if they cooperate to protect oil reserves and shipping lanes, Frazer said at the November 13-15 security conference.
The Gulf of Guinea accounts for almost 15 percent of the U.S. crude oil supply and is rich in other natural resources. President Bush met December 14 with Benin’s president, Boni Yayi, to discuss maritime security, peacekeeping and the promotion of democracy in the region.
“My administration is committed to helping the democracies on the continent of Africa deal with very significant problems,” Bush told White House reporters.
In November, the United States sponsored a ministerial conference in Benin at the request of West African nations that want to collaborate on shared security objectives. As a follow-up to the conference, the United States in December announced an agreement to install a U.S. Navy maritime radar facility in the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe to boost surveillance of strategic shipping lanes, the Reuters news agency reported.
“Achieving coastal security in the Gulf of Guinea is key to America’s trade and investment opportunities in Africa, to our energy security and to stem transnational threats like narcotics and arms trafficking, piracy, and illegal fishing,” Frazer said. “We share these interests in common with our Gulf of Guinea partners."
The conference was co-sponsored by the U.S. State Department, the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Europe, the U.S. European Command and the U.S. Department of Defense’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies.
ADDRESSING A CHALLENGING SECURITY ENVIRONMENT
U.S. military visits to the region have increased dramatically, from almost no activity in 2004 to nearly continuous visits by U.S. Navy vessels in 2006, according to conference briefing documents provided to reporters in November by Admiral Harry Ulrich, commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and U.S. Naval Forces Europe. During their patrols, Navy teams make frequent port calls and undertake humanitarian and medical missions as well as meet with government and nongovernment officials both ashore and aboard ships.
The Gulf of Guinea faces a challenging security environment, according to the briefing documents. Illegal fishing costs more than $1 billion a year. Niger Delta violence causes more than 1,000 deaths a year and significant disruptions of Nigerian oil supplies. At least 25 attempted piracies or armed robberies at sea were reported in 2005. Numerous expatriate oil workers have been kidnapped, and the Gulf of Guinea remains a major trafficking route for cocaine.
Frazer said the current lack of maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea “has had a negative impact on stability, human security, and economic development in the region.”
Experts expect Gulf of Guinea oil production to increase by 40 percent over the next decade, Frazer said. However, if kidnappings and attacks on oil facilities continue, private corporations are unlikely to make the necessary investments to increase production, she said.
“The United States is most interested in following the vision and lead of African nations” in helping bring stability to the region, Frazer said. “We believe that the best solutions to issues facing the continent stem from those most affected.”
Countries attending the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Safety and Security Ministerial conference included: Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Africa and Togo.
The full text of Frazer’s keynote remarks as prepared for delivery is posted on the State Department Web site.
(USINFO is produced by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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