U.N. reviews Somali piracy threat

Crimes committed off the coast of Somalia present a grave threat to peace and security in the region, the U.N. Security Council said. The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution that recognizes the need to not only prosecute those who commit crimes at sea but also the ring leaders who organize, finance and benefit from piracy. The resolution called on all member states to help Somali strengthen its judicial abilities "to bring to justice those involved in piracy who were using Somali territory for planning or undertaking their criminal acts." British Prime Minister David Cameron, in a foreign policy speech last week, said tackling the threat of piracy makes it necessary for British vessels to arm themselves when traveling near Somalia's coast. "Somalia is a failed state that directly threatens British interests," he said. Somalia hasn't had a functioning central government since the 1990s. The transitional government controlled only a small portion of Mogadishu before al-Shabaab, al-Qaida's affiliate in Somalia, pulled out of the capital last month. With al-Shabaab moving from Mogadishu, the Security Council urged transitional authorities to take advantage of the situation.