EU discusses military intervention in the Red Sea
In order to protect the important trade route between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden from increased attacks by the Houthi militia, the USA is launching the "Operation Prosperity Guardian" initiative. Nine countries have already pledged their support, including four EU states.
There are discussions in the EU about possible support for the US initiative "Operation Prosperity Guardian" to secure shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthi attacks on merchant ships in recent weeks are worrying and an unacceptable violation of international law, said Peter Stano, spokesman for the EU Commission in Brussels. Discussions are currently underway among the EU states and with partners on what a response could look like. "What is needed is an international solution," said the spokesperson.
One option in the EU is to extend the mandate of the EU anti-piracy operation Atalanta to include the protection of merchant ships in the Red Sea. Its current mission is to help deter and combat acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. Its main purpose is to enable the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the crisis country. The Bundeswehr was involved in the operation until spring 2022. It is currently being supported in particular by forces from Spain.
According to the Spanish Ministry of Defense in Madrid, Spain's participation in the US initiative depends on decisions made by the EU and NATO. The "Operation Prosperity Guardian" proposed by the USA aims to improve the protection of merchant ships in the Red Sea through increased cooperation between naval forces. According to information from the US Department of Defense in Washington, the United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and the Seychelles are among those taking part.
Germany is examining participation in the US initiative
SPD leader Saskia Esken has expressed her reservations about a German military deployment to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea. In an interview, she welcomed the fact that the USA wants to counter the attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels with an alliance to secure the important sea route. "We must clearly see that this alliance is important and necessary, also for Germany, also for our trade relations," she said.
However, the SPD chairwoman added: "At the same time, the Bundeswehr also has very clear restrictions on which mandates it can take part in. And the Bundestag would also have to be involved in this." This would be a foreign deployment of the Bundeswehr, which has not yet been supported by a United Nations mandate. "In this respect, we would have to take a very close look." Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has stated that German involvement is being examined.
Since the outbreak of the Gaza war, the Houthi rebels in Yemen have been attacking Israel with drones and missiles and attacking ships in the Red Sea to prevent them from sailing towards Israel. They are threatening to prevent ships of any nationality on their way to Israel from passing through the Red Sea. Only freighters delivering aid to the Gaza Strip would be granted passage. Since then, major shipping companies have increasingly avoided the route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, through which around ten percent of all global trade passes.
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Source: www.ntv.de
