FISHERIES WARS ARE ESCALATING

Spain allows use of long-range weapons to fight pirates
Private security firms which protect Spanish fishing boats from Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean will be allowed to use long-range weapons, Spain's junior defence minister said Tuesday.

The announcement by Constantino Mendez followed three attempted assaults by pirates on tuna fish trawlers from Spain's northern Basque Country in the Indian Ocean earlier this month.

He was speaking to reporters following talks with the regional Basque government's chief for agriculture and fisheries, Pilar Unzalu, in Vitoria.

All 17 Spanish fishing trawlers currently operating in the Indian Ocean are from the Basque Country, public television TVE reported.

Many fishermen from the prosperous region bordering France, which has been wracked by decades of separatist violence, have accused Spain's central government in Madrid of not doing enough to protect them from pirate attacks.

They have called for Spanish marines to ride onboard their ships to boost security but Mendez said that under Spanish law his ministry could not authorise a military escort for the fishing fleet.

In July France started placing French marines onboard French tuna trawlers that operate in the Indian Ocean in areas where attacks by Somalian pirates have taken place.

Spain in April allowed Spanish-flagged vessels to employ private security guards to protect them against pirates off the coast of Somalia, who often use rocket launchers and grenades in their attacks.

In April 2008 a tuna trawler from the Basque region was captured by pirates in the waters near Somalia for illegal fishing and its crew held for six days before being freed.

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