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NATO defense ministers agree to continue fighting Somali pirates

(RIA Novosti) - Defense ministers of the NATO 28 member states have agreed at their two-day meeting in Brussels to continue anti-piracy efforts off Somalia, the alliance's secretary general said on Friday.

"NATO will continue to play its role in the fight against piracy," Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said after the meeting.

The current NATO operation to tackle pirates off the coast of Somalia ends later in June.

Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.

The United Nations said Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008, collecting $150 million in ransom payments from ship owners. Total losses from piracy were estimated at $13-16 billion, including the soaring cost of insurance and protection for vessels, as well as sending ships on longer routes to avoid high-risk areas.

Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are involved in anti-piracy operations off Somalia.