UNSC OKs Use Of Force Vs Somali Pirates
December 18, 2008

The United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution authorizing the use of force to curb the rising criminality in lawless Somalia, the UN public information office said.

In a press statement, the 15-member Council unanimously adopted United States-led Resolution 1851 (2008) and a December 9 letter from Somalia's Transitional Federal Government to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon seeking international assistance to counter the surge in piracy and armed robbery .

The resolution allows that for the next year, states and regional organizations fighting against piracy and armed robbery at sea off Somalia's coast to undertake all measures "appropriate in Somalia" to stop those using the Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake such acts

Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991, has been the pirates' base of operations.

The resolution, which is not yet available, comes in a series of UN resolutions escalating in the recommended actions against the pirates, who have grown more brazen in their attacks, including the hijack of the oil-laden Saudi supertanker Sirius Star.

The Council stressed that the resolution did not establish customary international law.

In reaction to the resolution, Ban said the most appropriate response to the complex security challenges in Somalia was a multinational force, rather than a typical peacekeeping operation.

In a text message, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said the Philippines, which has 91 Filipino seamen still being held captive by suspected Somali pirates, welcomes the resolution.

'The Philippines, as member of the community of nations, welcomes the UNSC resolution as a milestone in combating piracy as a crime against the law of nations," he said.

In November, Conejos was in New York, calling for more concerted international action against the pirates.

The Philippines is keen on stopping the hijacking and kidnappings because it is the world's largest source of seafarers, supplying a third of the world's requirements. At any given time, there are 250,000 Filipino seamen at sea.

According to him, the UNSC Resolution authorizes greater international cooperation to use all means to repress and prevent piracy in the Horn of Africa, including land operations.

The Council is composed of five permanent members (China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States) and 10 non-permanent members (Belgium, Indonesia, South Africa, Burkina Faso, Italy, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Libya, Croatia, and Panama).
 

Source: Inquirer