Somalia piracy resolution introduced at U.N.

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - 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.

In the latest reported incident, Somali pirates last week seized a Spanish fishing boat with its 26-member crew and later freed it for a ransom of $1.2 million.

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.

The resolution would authorize countries to enter Somali territorial waters and use "all necessary means to identify, deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery" by boarding, searching and seizing suspect vessels and arresting the pirates.

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.

STRENGTHENING U.N. PRESENCE

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said piracy off Somalia had become more frequent and more brazen. "The time has come for the Security Council to respond to the situation," he told reporters. "The government of Somalia is not in a position to deal with this problem by itself."

The Somali government had itself written to the Security Council in February requesting action to secure its waters. The International Maritime Organization, a U.N. agency, had also twice written to Ban last year about the problem.

The deteriorating situation in Somalia has recently galvanized the Security Council into action. Britain is preparing a separate resolution calling for a strengthening of the U.N. presence in Somalia, a nation where many countries remain loath to send peacekeepers.

Somalia has been without an effective central government since the 1991 toppling of dictator Mohamed Siad Barre, allowing anarchy and violence to flourish.

Kidnapping and piracy are lucrative businesses and most Somalis treat their captives well in anticipation of a ransom.

South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, current Security Council president, said the reaction of members had been generally supportive and the resolution would now be given to experts to study.

The draft calls on member states who might be involved to ensure that suspected pirates are prosecuted.

It also requests Ban to report back within three months of adoption on how the resolution is being put into effect and within six months on whether it might be possible to extend it to other areas affected by piracy.

(Editing by Eric Beech)