(dpa) -
The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss possible
authorization of states to act against pirates off the Somali coasts, where
piracy acts have increased against passenger ships and tankers, the United States said Monday.
A draft resolution written by Britain, the United States, Panama and France was submitted to the 15-nation council, which would authorize states to cooperate
with Somalia's provisional government for an initial six months to fight acts
of piracy.
Under the proposal, such states could use their naval vessels and aircraft to
enter Somalia's territorial waters "for the purposes of identifying and
pursuing pirates and armed robberies and of deterring, preventing and
suppressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, in a manner consistent
with such action permitted on the high seas with respect to piracy under
relevant international law."
The draft would allow states cooperating with Somalia to use "all
necessary means" to identify, deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy.
It would allow relevant states to cooperate and determine ways to ensure the
detention, investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for acts of
piracy.
US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad told reporters that the draft would be discussed
by the council in coming days because piracy has become "more frequent and
more brazen."
"It is time for the Security Council to respond to the situation,"
Khalilzad said, adding that while the focus currently is on the Somali coasts,
the anti-piracy measures could be applied to other areas in the world where
piracy acts have been reported.
Security Council members have become aware that Somalia's provisional
government cannot deal with pirates off its shores. The Somali government has
also welcomed international assistance to fight pirates who have stolen ships
carrying food supplies for the country.
Incidents over the past years included the seizure of the Panamanian-flagged
vessel Fiesta Gas in April, 2005, and the hijacking earlier this month of the
French luxury passenger ship and detained its passengers.
Last week, pirates seized the Spanish fishing vessel Playa de Bakia and
attempted to seize the Japanese oil tanker Takayama. Pirates apparently have
demanded a ransom of 1 million euros for the release of the crew of the Spanish
fishing boat, but Madrid denied the ransom demand.