Cabinet Committee on Security, CCS, today decided to intensify diplomatic efforts with government of Egypt and UAE where the owners of concerned vessels reside to seek the safe and secure release of 53 Indian sailors held hostage by Somali pirates. Making a statement in the Lok Sabha today after a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on security in New Delhi, the External Affairs Minister said that his ministry will also coordinate with government of other nationalities whose people have been held hostage, besides intensifying efforts at multilateral level and within the framework of United Nations. S.M. Krishna said government will also step up contacts with the owners of the vessels as it is the primary duty of the owners to ensure the safety of the crew. He said an inter ministerial group led by Cabinet Secretary will act as an apex forum to monitor the early release of Indian ships, cargo or crew. The group will also consider welfare measures necessitated after the release of hijacked Indian nationals.The minister asserted that Indian navy will coordinate with the navies of friendly foreign countries is on the anvil to address the issue of piracy in the Gulf of Aden. He said that the CCS considered the immediate situation arising out from holding of Indian hostages by pirates and noted 53 of them continued to be in captivity. He said that the committee approved a series of measures to address the legal, administrative and operational aspects of combating piracy. He said a broad based framework covering all these aspects would involve actions in the medium and long term by ministries of shipping, defence and external affairs.Leader of the Opposition, Sushma Swaraj complimented the government for a quick response and suggested to use international laws suitably to deal with the menace of piracy. A similar statement was made by the minister of state for external affairs in the Rajya Sabha later.