EU mission alone cannot solve piracy problem, says admiral

The EU's naval mission off the coasts of Somalia has had a deterrent effect on pirates, but alone will not be enough to solve the problem, its commander said on Tuesday (2 February).

One year after it kicked off in the Gulf of Aden, the EU's first naval mission comprising seven ships and three aircraft was successful in protecting United Nation food supply ships from pirate attacks, rear admiral Peter Hudson told journalists in Brussels.

"Our priority task is to protect World Food Programme vessels, which is time consuming, as they are small and slow, but very important for the stability of the population in Somalia," Mr Hudson said.

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