EU Agrees on Yemen ‘Mission’: Italy, Germany And France To Send Warships?

EU agrees on Yemen ‘mission’

RT

Italy, France, and Germany reportedly want to send warships to the Red Sea

Foreign ministers of the European Union have reached a tentative agreement to start a naval mission in the Red Sea, EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell announced on Monday, after a ministerial meeting in Brussels.

Germany, France, and Italy have proposed the step in response to requests from the Netherlands, whose merchant shipping has been impacted by the months-long Houthi attacks on vessels linked to Israel. 

“We have agreed, in principle, to start the EU mission in the Red Sea,” Borrell said after the meeting, according to the Italian news agency ANSA. “Now we have to work on unanimity as to when (it will start).”

The European External Action Service aims to have the mission established by February 19 and start operations soon afterward, Reuters has reported, citing anonymous diplomatic sources in Brussels.

According to an internal document leaked to several media outlets, the mission would involve “at least three” naval vessels. A diplomatic source told the German outlet Deutsche Welle (DW) on Sunday that the preferred option would be to expand Operation Agenor, the French-led monitoring mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

Spain has made it clear it will not participate in the mission, but Madrid is unwilling to veto it altogether.