The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Friday to adopt a US-drafted resolution that puts off until June a decision on whether to establish a UN peacekeeping operation in war-torn Somalia.

"The Security Council expresses its intent to establish a United Nations peacekeeping operation in Somalia as a follow-on force to AMISOM (the African Union force in Somalia), subject to a further decision of the Security Council by June 1," which will be based on a report by UN chief Ban Ki-moon to be submitted by April 15, the resolution said.

The draft resolution was jointly proposed by the United States together with Burundi, Italy, Rwanda, Turkey and Uganda.

The report by the UN secretary-general is expected to focus on "developments in the situation in Somalia, progress towards the full deployment and strengthening of AMISOM with a view to transition to a UN peacekeeping operation, progress in the political progress and security conditions on the ground," the resolution said.

Meanwhile, the Security Council "welcomes the decision of the African Union that AMISOM will remain in Somalia until March 16, 2009, and requests the African Union to maintain AMISOM's deployment in Somalia and reinforce that deployment to help achieve AMISOM's originally mandated troop strength of 8,000 troops" so that it can carry out its mandate and protect key installations in Mogadishu, it said.

The United States is pushing for the establishment of a UN peacekeeping force in Somalia, but UN Secretary-general Ban Ki- moon said last month that the time is not ripe for the deployment of UN peacekeepers in the Horn of Africa country simply because there is no peace to keep at present.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2009)