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UN approves piracy land pursuit UN approves piracy land pursuit
(about 14 hours later)
The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a US resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea.The United Nations Security Council has unanimously approved a US resolution allowing countries to pursue Somali pirates on land as well as at sea.
It is an extension of the powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates.It is an extension of the powers countries already have to enter Somali waters to chase pirates.
Countries will need the permission of the transitional Somali government. China said it was seriously considering sending naval ships to the region, but will first need permission from the transitional Somali government.
It comes after two vessels were seized by suspected Somali pirates off the coast of Yemen, adding to the dozens of ships hijacked in the area this year. The move came as several vessels were seized by Somali pirates off Yemen.
It is the fourth resolution approved by the council since June to combat piracy off Somalia's coast. On Wednesday morning pirates were reportedly foiled after attempting to attack a Chinese-owned ship in the Gulf of Aden - a day after three other vessels were seized.
'Necessary force' The Chinese crew held off the pirates long enough for back-up to arrive, AFP news agency reported.
"Military helicopters came and they managed to chase the pirates away," Noel Choong, of the International Maritime Bureau, told AFP.
'Calculated jab'
The BBC's Peter Greste in Nairobi says the latest attacks appear to be a calculated jab at UN attempts to clamp down on piracy.
He says they bring to 42 the number of successful hijackings in the area this year.
Fourteen foreign ships and their crew of over 200 are still being held, our correspondent adds.
A surge in pirate attacks has proved costly to international shipping
Tuesday's UN resolution was the fourth approved by the Security Council since June to combat piracy off Somalia's coast.
It gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures" by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory to plan, help or carry out acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.It gives authority for one year for countries to use "all necessary measures" by land or air to stop anyone using Somali territory to plan, help or carry out acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.
The US-drafted resolution was co-sponsored by Belgium, France, Greece, Liberia and South Korea.The US-drafted resolution was co-sponsored by Belgium, France, Greece, Liberia and South Korea.
Indonesia, which also suffers from piracy, was among critics of the plan as it feared the precedent it could set for chasing pirates on land. Indonesia, which also suffers from piracy, was among critics of the plan as it feared the precedent it could set for chasing pirates on land. But in the end it voted in favour.
However, it voted in favour of the resolution. One of the vessels seized on Tuesday was a Malaysian tugboat which had been heading home through the Gulf of Aden from the Middle East.
UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who attended the Security Council meeting, said: "This is an important additional tool to combat those who plan, facilitate or undertake acts of piracy from the territory of Somalia. According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates boarded the vessel armed with rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons.
"The UK considers that any use of force must be both necessary and proportionate."
One of the vessels seized on Tuesday was an Indonesian tugboat contracted to French oil company Total, a Total spokesman said.
It was heading from Yemen to Malaysia when it was attacked.
A Turkish cargo ship, MV Bosphorus Prodigy, owned by Isko Marine Company, was also captured, a US Fifth Fleet spokesman said.A Turkish cargo ship, MV Bosphorus Prodigy, owned by Isko Marine Company, was also captured, a US Fifth Fleet spokesman said.
The container ship is 330ft (100m) long and carries the flag of Antigua-Barbuda. The container ship is 330ft (100m) long and was carrying the flag of Antigua-Barbuda.
The tugboat had mainly Indonesian crew, the Total spokesman said. And a private yacht was seized.
The latest seizures came as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime called for more policing of the seas off Somalia, and for arrested pirates to be tried in the country that the arresting officers come from.
The executive director of the office, Antonio Maria Costa, said: "Pirates cannot be keelhauled or forced to walk the plank, nor should they be dumped off the Somali coast.
"They need to be brought to justice."