New York  - UN Security Council members had to stop their meeting on Monday after a fire alarm went off, but resumed shortly after when UN security found nothing harmful.

The 15-nation council was holding a public session to review some of the year's activities, mostly regarding sanctions against Somalia, the Democratic Republic of Congo and efforts in other African countries.

The members and their staff strode out of the chamber as told by security when the alarm went off. The representative from Belgium, who was reading his report on sanctions against Ivory Coast when the alarm system sounded, resumed reading the document unperturbed by the event. (dpa)