Seychelles to benefit from closer military ties with US
29.07.2009
Seychelles is to benefit from closer military cooperation with the US through maritime surveillance, training and extra revenue generated by the use of Port Victoria as a rest stop for American marines.
It is estimated that the income from each US naval ship’s visit will be around $175,000, excluding the refuelling costs of the ships and planes that will patrol our waters more frequently in future.
This has been made possible after the National Assembly yesterday resolved to ratify the Status of Forces Protection Agreement (SOFA) between the US and Seychelles governments.
The agreement is part of American foreign policy, which is aimed at protecting its defence personnel serving in other countries under military, humanitarian, economic or other cooperation.
It sets the terms and operational parameters, and offers legal protection to US personnel while they are in a foreign country under a specific cooperation agreement.
A motion asking the assembly to ratify the SOFA was tabled by the leader of government business Marie-Louise Potter. She said such an agreement represents a key component in our fight against piracy, which we never thought would come so close to us.
She said our isolated geographic position and our limited economic and military resources will never allow us to patrol our vast territorial waters with an area of 1.4 million square kilometres.
Foreign military help in patrol and surveillance of our waters is today a necessity, and the US forces are among those ready to help us under this agreement, she added.
Mrs Potter stressed that Seychelles has to be realistic and pragmatic when it comes to the issue of piracy, which has today become one of the most well-organised and profitable crimes in this part of the world.
She said we should in no way allow the respite of the south-east monsoon to make us complacent and believe the pirates will not strike again when calm returns.
The agreement is one of several measures that will prepare us for any new attacks in the future, she added. The government has negotiated similar agreements with other countries, which will soon be submitted to the assembly to be ratified.
Mrs Potter said the agreement is also based on friendship, respect and the historical cooperation that has always existed between Seychelles and the US.
Explaining why the opposition has given its support to the motion, its leader Wavel Ramkalawan said it is because it does not infringe the sovereignty of any other country. He said the opposition also welcomed the move for Seychelles to receive surveillance and patrols by the US, which has all the necessary facilities.
At the same time, Mr Ramkalawan raised various points of concern, among which is the need to be on our guard as this cooperation could put us on the terrorist map. The US is a key terrorist target, and Seychelles has porous boundaries that could easily be infiltrated.
He also stressed that we must make the most of this agreement and ensure we benefit to the maximum.
In her summing-up, Mrs Potter said the majority party shares the opposition’s concerns and it is the wish of the authorities to ensure we get as much as possible from such an agreement.
Yesterday the assembly also approved amendments to the Judiciary Bill 2009, which seeks to amend the Judiciary Act to increase the salaries of officers of the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal.
And it approved amendments to the Constitutional Appointees Emolument Bill to increase the salary of the attorney-general.
Seychelles Nation will come back on these two Bills in a later issue.
Meanwhile, the assembly has gone into recess until September 8.