By DPA,
New York : The UN Security Council Tuesday authorized the use of force to stop piracy against ships off Somalia, while the European Union is studying sending a military mission to assess the situation.
The council unanimously adopted a resolution submitted by France, the current EU president, to use the “necessary means … for the repression of acts of piracy”.
The resolution said the use of force by naval vessels and military aircraft operating in the area should conform with international law and the convention on the law of the sea, which determines the territorial limits of each country.
French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said the EU in Brussels plans to send a mission to Somalia to discuss what the European bloc can do to stop piracy. Ripert said pirates are killing Somalians on a daily basis.