Monday, June 02, 2008
UNITED NATIONS, June 2 (Xinhua) -- The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to approve a resolution authorizing foreign countries to combat piracy and armed robbery at sea in the territorial waters of Somalia.
In the U.S.-France sponsored resolution, the 15-member council decided that with consent of the government, foreign countries may "enter the territorial waters of Somalia for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea."
The authorization period will last for six months starting from Monday, the date of the resolution's adoption.
Through resolution 1816, the council authorized relevant countries to use "all necessary means to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery," but such actions should not deny or impair the"right of innocent passage to the ships of any third state."
The council is "gravely concerned by the threat that acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels pose to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia, the safety of commercial maritime routes and to international navigation," the resolution said.
Dozens of attacks and hijackings of ships operated by the UN World Food Program (WFP) and other relief agencies have been reported recently, obstructing the delivery of much-needed aid.
The council called on states whose military ships and planes operate off the Horn of Africa nation's coast to be alert to piracy and to coordinate efforts to curb the problem with other nations, the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and international organizations such as the UN International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The council said it will review the situation and consider renewing the authority for additional periods upon the request of the Somalian government.
In a letter to the Security Council in February, the TFG asked for urgent assistance in securing the territorial and international waters off the coast of Somalia for the safe conduct of shipping and navigation.
Source: Xinhua, June 02, 2008