Anti-piracy meeting to be held at UN on Dec. 16

From The Journal of Commerce

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and senior officials from a number of countries will attend an anti-piracy meeting at the UN in New York on Dec. 16, 2008, according to reports.

The U.S. intends to back efforts to deploy an international peacekeeping force in Somalia to replace a contingent led by Ethiopia scheduled to leave the country. The U.S. says pirates based in coastal camps have links to an Islamic extremist group that has taken control of much of the country.