EU extends Somalia anti-piracy operation for one year

The European Union agreed on Monday to extend an anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia until the end of next year and to expand its area of operations.

EU ministers meeting in Luxembourg endorsed a decision to extend the reach of the operation, codenamed Atalanta, to cover the Seychelles.

The mission, which was launched in December and was originally envisioned to last 12 months, will now run until the end of 2010. It has involved more than a dozen vessels and several maritime patrol aircraft.

Somali gangs have made millions of dollars seizing vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, driving up insurance rates and other costs in key sea lanes linking Europe to Asia.

The attacks have continued despite the presence of naval forces from more than a dozen states, including other patrols under EU and United States command.

Restoring stability to Somalia itself is widely seen as the only long-term solution to the problem.

Last week, Natoministers endorsed a plan for a year-long anti-piracy mission after the Western military alliance’s current operation ends later this month.—Reuters