EU Parliament clashes over naval mission

BRUSSELS, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Members of the EU Parliament clashed Wednesday over the possibility of sending a naval mission to the volatile coastal waters off Somalia.

At an EU Parliament hearing in Brussels Wednesday sparks flew over the legality and justification of a possible deployment of an EU naval mission to the Horn of Africa region. Somalia's coastal waters have become extremely dangerous after a surge in piracy.

The violence is threatening much needed humanitarian aid for the war-ravaged Somalia. Additionally, the spike in piracy is causing problems for global trade through the Suez Canal, the EU Observer reported.

At the hearing MEPs debated the reasoning behind sending an EU naval mission to the Gulf of Aden when the multinational counter-terrorism naval operation Combined Task Force 150 is already in the region.

"It is a pity that the British government has agreed to an EU naval operation at the same time that NATO will be engaged in the same waters," British MEP Geoffrey van Orden said in a statement, as reported by the EU Observer.

"Not only does this introduce unnecessary complexity and political confusion but it stretches our meager naval assets even further."

While the EU council and the EU's military coordination cell defended the possible deployment of five or six ships, other MEPs derided the operation, including German MEP Angelika Beer, who, according to the EU Observer, called into question whether the deployment adhered to international law.