U.S. Navy sailors may board thousands of commercial ships in international waters to search for weapons of mass destruction under a landmark pact between the United States and Liberia, the world’s No. 2 shipping registry. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher confirmed Friday that the United States is seeking similar deals with other nations, but he declined to identify them. Wednesday’s accord — the first of its kind, Boucher said — comes amid fears that terror networks would use ships for attacks, taking advantage of comparatively lax security on the waters after crackdowns in the skies. Liberia, an American-founded West African nation emerging from nearly 15 years of civil war, has held a U.S.-based shipping registry since 1949 and now hosts more than 2,000 foreign vessels. Full Story
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