UN sanctions land operations against Somali pirates

The UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution for the first time authorising international land operations against audacious, armed pirates sheltering in Somalia.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice hailed the adoption of the UN resolution saying it sent a "strong signal to combat the scourge of piracy" and stressed the need "to end the impunity of Somali pirates".

The text, co-sponsored by Belgium, France, Greece, Liberia and South Korea, gives those nations already involved in battling pirates off Somalia a one-year mandate to act against the brigands inside the country.

Resolution 1851 authorises the states to "take all necessary measures that are appropriate in Somalia" to suppress "acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea".

However, to overcome objections from countries such as Indonesia an earlier reference in the text to "ashore" or "including in its (Somalia) airspace" was dropped.

Increasingly emboldened, Somali pirates have carried out more than 100 attacks in the key shipping lanes of the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean since the beginning of this year.

Last month, they captured the world's attention when they hijacked the Saudi-owned super-tanker Sirius Star, carrying two million barrels of crude oil, and demanded a $25-million (Dh91.82m) ransom for the boat and its crew.

It is one of about 17 ships, including an arms-laden Ukrainian cargo vessel, currently in pirate hands.

Rice told the high-profile UN ministerial session that the US intended to work with partners to set up a contact group on Somali piracy, adding the insecurity and lawlessness in the Horn of Africa nation had to be urgently addressed.

Tuesday's resolution was the fourth approved by the council since June to combat rampant piracy off Somalia's coast. And unlike previous resolutions, the current text empowers states combating piracy to conduct operations on land in Somalia.

But the Pentagon warned there were "practical challenges" to taking such action inside Somalia.

Rice also told the UN session attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, Chinese Deputy Foreign Minister He Yafei and UN chief Ban Ki-moon, that it was time "to authorise a UN peacekeeping operation" in Somalia.

Ethiopian troops, who intervened in Somalia in 2006 to prop up the weak transitional government, will be withdrawn early next month, leaving the ill-equipped and under-strength 3,400-strong African Union force on its own to face a resurgent Islamic rebellion.

Ban welcomed the council's actions to combat Somali piracy and said he would submit recommendations "on ways to ensure the long-term security of international navigation off the coast of Somalia".