MOSCOW, June 10 (RIA Novosti) - Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, currently on an official visit to Italy, said on Wednesday he would present a proposal on the resolution of the Somali pirates issue, Italy's APCom news agency reported.

Speaking about his draft plan, he said it is "necessary to respect the Somali economic zone" and to do this "pirate activity must be stopped."

Qaddafi said the main issue in resolving the piracy problem is to address the reasons, which lead to this activity.

"The main question that must be answered is why Somalis became pirates," he said.

Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.

The United Nations said Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008, collecting $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners. Total losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.

Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia.