The United Nations Security Council quietly let a deadline pass for it to renew UN authorization to fight piracy in waters off lawless Somalia, diplomats said.
This will have repercussions for a European air and sea operation to combat such crime on the high seas.
On December 3 the council unanimously passed a U.S.-drafted resolution extending this authorization by three months, instead of by a year as was usually the case. But on March 3 the council did nothing to renew the authorization and made no public announcement about the deadline passing.