NATO is to launch a second anti-piracy naval mission off the coast of Somalia in the spring, the alliance's spokesman said in Krakow on Thursday. James Appathurai said defense ministers meeting in the Polish city had given their broad backing to the mission, whose details would be worked out during the coming weeks, according to dpa. Four NATO warships and several helicopters patrolled the Gulf of Aden and escorted World Food Program vessels carrying aid to Africa on behalf of the UN between October and December. The mission helped deliver 30,000 metric tons of humanitarian aid to Somalia, NATO said. The alliance formally handed over operations to the European Union's ATALANTA mission on December 14. "We can expect another naval operation in the spring," Appathurai said.
