Brussels, 15/05/2009 (Agence Europe) - EU deployment of its first maritime operation, EU NAVFOR ATALANTA, is on the right track, said British Rear Admiral Philip Jones, who commands the operation from the Northwood headquarters, on Wednesday 13 May. According to the World Food Programme (WFP), EU NAVFOR ships have protected 131,000 metric tonnes of aid consignments (enough food aid to feed 1.5 million people). Speaking during a press conference, his last before taking over another command post within the British naval staff, Admiral Jones said, on Wednesday 13 May, that the operation has been able to respond to all WFP calls for protection (23 ships have already been escorted and 9 others are currently under escort or scheduled to be escorted in coming weeks), and has helped to reduce the number of successful pirate attacks. Out of 102 attacks against merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia since mid-December, when the operation began, only 31 have been carried out successfully, Admiral Jones said. There are still a large number of attacks but the situation is much better than during the last three months of 2008, he stressed, pointing out that other factors, in addition to NAVFOR intervention, have contributed to reducing the number of pirate attacks. These are: - the monsoon period at the beginning of the year, the strengthened presence of other military ships (the US Task Force 151, the first NATO maritime group SNMG1, the individual presence of ships from Russia, India and Egypt, etc.), and coordination between these actors as well as action undertaken within the international maritime community. Furthermore, it is up to each individual state concerned to take its own decisions on authorising the presence of armed guards on board merchant vessels. In this way, to ensure the protection of all ships navigating in the zone, it would take 12-15,000 guards, he said, saying such a measure was not practical. The number of ships detained by pirates has also fallen, from 16 “shortly before the beginning of Operation Atalanta” to 6 in March 2009, but back up to 14 in recent weeks with attacks facilitated by the end of the monsoon period, renewed insurgency in the country and extension of the pirates' zone of operations, with pirate boats now venturing up to 500 to 600 nautical miles from the Somali coast. Detention periods, however, have shortened considerably, and the process of negotiation with the pirates has speeded up, in some cases not exceeding one week, the British rear admiral said. Stressing the economic and social aspects of piracy, Admiral Jones also placed emphasis on legal action against pirates. “If we are to deter pirates”, those that are captured must know that there is a fair chance they will be prosecuted and that legal proceedings will be brought against them, he said. At this stage, 52 pirates have been taken prisoner, of whom 39 have been handed over to the Kenyan authorities in line with the agreement signed between the EU and Kenya in March this year. Other countries of the region may also cooperate in the European operation. Negotiations are underway with Croatia, Romania and Switzerland, which in turn may contribute to the operation in addition to the 9 EU member states that are also taking part. Although opinions differ about the need for a global effort to combat piracy, it is still not certain whether the EU NAVFOR mandate will be extended beyond December 2009. Rear Admiral Jones said the military presence should be maintained but “not necessarily by the EU”. He was adamant, however, that, if the EU were to withdraw, it would be essential to know that the effort begun by the European operation would be continued. (A.By./transl.jl)