US welcomes UNSC call to pursue Somali piracy

The United States welcomed UN Security Council's "unanimous call to all nations in the world to continue their cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of all persons responsible for acts of piracy, armed robbery at sea, and kidnap for ransom off the coast of Somalia." State Department Spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement, late on Wednesday, that this includes "key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who illicitly plan, organize, facilitate, or finance and profit from such attacks." "We also welcome the further practical steps taken by the Council in support of national, regional and international efforts to prosecute pirates, and to enhance related prison capacity," she added.Nuland stressed that this development "is the latest indication of growing international consensus that these transnational criminals pose a serious shared security challenge for the safety and well-being of seafarers, global commerce and humanitarian aid." Separately, the State Department confirmed that a U.S. citizen has been kidnapped in northern Somalia. It said, "We remain concerned about the individual's safety and well-being." And affirmed that "we are working with contacts in Kenya and Somalia to ascertain further information and have been in contact with the individual's family to provide all appropriate consular assistance." "The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind, and we call for the immediate release of all of the victims involved," it stressed.