No International Agreement on How To Tackle Somali Piracy

(Photo from FOX News.com)

No Consensus on How to Solve Somali Pirate Problem
-- FOX News

Despite international outrage at the persistence of piracy in the waters off Somalia, there appears to be no consensus yet on how to deal with the problem.

The varying approaches were underscored this week when a South Korea shipping company decided to pay the ransom that one band of pirates had demanded in exchange for freeing a ship on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a stalemate remains in the most prominent hijacking, in which Somali pirates took over a Ukranian ship carrying Russian-built tanks and other weapons.

U.S. and Russian warships have those pirates cornered, but the forces have yet to take action. The pirates had warned they would blow up the ship unless a ransom is paid, but have yet to follow through on the threat.

The case of a hijacked Panama-flagged cargo ship, on the other hand, ended Tuesday in a violent resolution when soldiers from a semiautonomous region of Somalia moved in.

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My Comment: This is so typical of international efforts .... no agreement on what to do .... and fear to take unilateral action.