Britain Seeks U.N. Vote on Operation against Migrant Smugglers

Britain is hoping that a U.N. draft resolution authorizing European military action against migrant smugglers off Libya's coast will come up for a vote in the Security Council this week, its ambassador said Wednesday.

European warships launched Operation Sophia Wednesday to seize traffickers' boats in international waters and stem the tide of migrants making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.

Presented to the Security Council last month, the draft resolution ran into opposition from African countries and Venezuela, while Russia raised questions about the measure.

African countries, however, appeared to have changed stance after Libya's internationally-recognized authorities said they had dropped their opposition to the proposed resolution.

"The Libyan authorities are content with that work which I hope means we will be ready to vote on it in the coming days," British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft told reporters.

The draft resolution would provide U.N. approval to the military action on the high seas, which is not mandatory but would give Operation Sophia greater legitimacy.

Britain circulated a revised draft resolution to the 15 council members on Tuesday and a letter from the Libyan ambassador stating that his government "is no longer objecting" to the text.

Russian Deputy Ambassador Petr Iliichev told reporters Moscow has "some concerns" about the draft text on migration amid intense diplomacy over a separate proposed resolution on the Syria crisis.

Russia is one of the five permanent members that have veto power at the council, but diplomats said privately that they did not expect Moscow to block the measure.

Europe hopes that smashing the refugee-trafficking networks will help save lives and deter asylum-seekers from making the dangerous journey.

Around 3,000 people have died while crossing the Mediterranean to Europe this year, while over half a million have made the voyage, mostly landing in Greece and Italy.

The measure would authorize European naval forces to board ships for inspection, seize them and even dispose of the vessels suspected of being used by migrant smugglers.

The text drafted under chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which authorizes use of force, would give U.N. approval for military action for a period of one year and be limited to international waters off Libya's coast.