America pushes for anti-piracy resolution
Defense department officials in the USA has floated the idea of taking the fight to the pirates on land, authorizing countries to use military force - including air strikes - to stop pirates before they take to the seas.
By ET Bureau |
Defense department officials in the USA has floated the idea of taking the fight to the pirates on land, authorizing countries to use military force - including air strikes - to stop pirates before they take to the seas. Anti-piracy efforts now consist primarily of NATO warships and other naval forces patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.The proposal is scheduled to be voted on by the UN Security Council in its next meeting.
The resolution needs to be approved by nine of the 15 council members, and the yes votes must include all five permanent members - the United States, France, Great Britain, China and Russia. This is the third resolution in the past six months that deals with piracy.
The resolution also calls for cooperation with the Somali transitional federal government to prevent piracy and allows countries to prosecute and punish pirates under international law. So far Kenya has volunteered to prosecute and jail suspected pirates.
This latest resolution comes at a time when pirates operating from lawless Somalia are extending their range to hundreds of miles off the coast to seize ships and crews for ransom. Their recent plunder includes a Ukrainian ship loaded with heavy weapons which has been held since September.
The resolution needs to be approved by nine of the 15 council members, and the yes votes must include all five permanent members - the United States, France, Great Britain, China and Russia. This is the third resolution in the past six months that deals with piracy.
The resolution also calls for cooperation with the Somali transitional federal government to prevent piracy and allows countries to prosecute and punish pirates under international law. So far Kenya has volunteered to prosecute and jail suspected pirates.
This latest resolution comes at a time when pirates operating from lawless Somalia are extending their range to hundreds of miles off the coast to seize ships and crews for ransom. Their recent plunder includes a Ukrainian ship loaded with heavy weapons which has been held since September.
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