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US and France draft anti-pirating resolution at UN

The US and France are drafting a UN resolution that would allow countries to chase and arrest pirates off Somalia’s coast, responding to a spate of attacks including this week’s hijacking of a Spanish tuna boat, UN diplomats said.

French Ambassador to the UN Jean-Maurice Ripert said on Monday the resolution would authorize foreign governments to pursue pirate vessels into territorial waters, make arrests and prosecute suspects.

“We want to do it fast, but it could take one or two weeks because it has to be by consensus — it’s not confrontational,” he said.

The push by key UN Security Council members to tackle the issue follows an alarming increase in piracy by well-armed bandits, prompting international demand for protection of shipping lanes.

Meanwhile, Somali regional forces rescued a hijacked cargo vessel yesterday and arrested seven pirates after a clash in the Gulf of Aden, an official said.

Three pirates and a soldier from the semi-autonomous Puntland region were wounded in yesterday’s incident, a day after the Al-Khaleech was hijacked as it sailed from United Arab Emirates to the Puntland port town of Bosasso.

The vessel, contracted by a Somali trader to transport merchandise, was seized on Monday, said Bile Mohamoud Qabowsade, an adviser for the Puntland president.

On Monday, pirates holding 26 crew members on a Spanish fishing boat off the Somali coast demanded ransom for their release, while a Japanese oil tanker was damaged and then chased by pirates off the coasts of Somalia and Yemen. No one was hurt.
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