Four countries introduced a draft resolution at the U.N. Security Council on Monday that urges maritime powers to fight piracy off Somalia's coast and authorizes them to arrest pirates in Somali waters. The resolution is aimed at combating a surge in ship hijackings for ransom in the waters off the coast of lawless Somalia that have made them one of the world's most dangerous shipping zones.The draft resolution, obtained by Reuters, urges states that seek to use commercial sea routes off the Horn of Africa state "to increase their coordination to deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."
It was formally introduced at a closed Security Council session by the United States, Britain and France as well as Panama, under whose flag many merchant vessels sail.
| Wonder where the Panamanian Navy has been with all of this ... |
A condition is that states taking such action should be cooperating with Somalia's embattled interim government and should have notified U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
Diplomats declined to say when the resolution would be passed, saying there were complex legal issues involved.