The Somali government on Wednesday called on nations holding more than 700 suspected pirates for trial to extradite the prisoners to Somalia.


Admiral Farah Ahmed, who commands the Somali government’s navy, said NATO and Somalia had agreed that Somalis being held on charges of piracy would be put on trial inside Somalia. Suspected pirates are being detained in 12 countries.


Ahmed said the Somali government is very upset about putting Somali pirate suspects on trial in foreign countries, saying the action would humiliate and disgrace the transitional federal government, which is internationally recognized.


“The government established prisons and special courts for pirates and NATO confirmed to us the captured suspected pirates would be transferred and extradited to the Somali government,” he said, declining to elaborate where the meeting had taken place.


NATO officials didn’t release any comments about the statement.


Somalia is detaining more than half of the 700 pirates. Other countries with suspected pirates in their legal systems include the Seychelles and Kenya. Mauritius, Tanzania, and the Maldives are ready to prosecute their detainees, according to the United Nations.


“A lot of new Somali naval forces were trained and ready to begin operations to fight with Somali pirates,” Ahmed told a local radio station last month, adding that many coast guard crews would be trained. He said the navy will focus on defending resources of Somali coasts from illegal fishing vessels and on maintaining security.


Warships from the United States, Britain, Japan, France and other countries have been patrolling waters off Somali in an anti-piracy task force, but have been unable to uproot the problem of piracy.


Nonetheless, Somali pirates continue to operate. At least 20 vessels and more than 450 hostages are currently in the hands of pirates.