NATO defense ministers will agree on the deployment of another anti-piracy mission off Somalia immediately after the current mission expires on June 28, said the alliance on Friday.

"It seems as if we are going in the direction of a decision by NATO ministers to use the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) immediately after the current SNMG deployment," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai.

The current mission is carried out by SNMG 1.

"This decision should be taken today. But that's the direction in which it seems to be going," said Appathurai.

The SNMG2 is currently made up of six warships from Italy, Spain, Greece, Turkey, Britain and the United States. Germany and the Netherlands were countries that also routinely contributed vessels to this group.

Appathurai said it is not certain that all countries in the SNMG2 will participate in the new mission. But at least one country that is not in the SNMG2 has pledged to contribute one frigate and one maritime patrol aircraft to this anti-piracy mission.

Two German ships, which initially were part of the SNMG 1 fleet, broke off and joined the European Union (EU) anti-piracy mission "Atalanta" in the middle of NATO's anti-piracy mission.

The new mission is meant to immediately follow on the current mission, but that does not mean that there will not be a short gap, said Appathurai. The intention is to do it as soon as possible, he added.

The mission is intended to be a significant one although its exact length is yet to be defined, he said. "We are talking about months. But the period is not being defined."

NATO has agreed to take on a long-term anti-piracy role. But an SNMG mission is not supposed to last indefinitely. The two SNMG fleets are rapid reaction naval forces of NATO that can be deployed anywhere in the world for a wide range of tasks, including exercises with NATO allies and partner countries.

The SNMG 2 mission will be part of a long-term deployment codenamed "Ocean Shield," said Appathurai. But work on a long-term commitment is continuing, including the creation of a legal framework under which captured pirates can be prosecuted.

At present, the national law of the vessel which captures the pirates applies, leading to unconditional releases in some cases.

NATO is following the steps of the EU, which has reached a deal with Kenya on the transfer and prosecution of captured pirates.

"The European Union already has a form of a legal framework. NATO is working along the same lines. But we are not there yet," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Thursday.

Source: Xinhua