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Text: NATO to Escort Non-Military Vessels in Straits of Gibraltar

(Operation Active Endeavour aimed at preventing terrorist attacks)
(370)
NATO has decided to allow Alliance naval forces to escort designated
Allied commercial and civilian ships traveling through the Straits of
Gibraltar. This is an extension of Operation Active Endeavour, which
was started in October 2001 to monitor shipping in the eastern
Mediterranean in the wake of the September 11 attacks.
"These additional measure are meant to protect commercial and civilian
shipping from possible new threats, such as terrorist attacks," said
NATO Spokesperson Yves Brodeur.
The new procedures are scheduled to start after the North Atlantic
Council approves the new guidelines for Operation Active Endeavour.
Following is the NATO press release:
(begin text)
NATO Press Release 
4 Feb. 2003
NATO TO ESCORT SHIPPING IN STRAITS OF GIBRALTAR
On 4 February NATO decided that Alliance naval forces will escort
Allied commercial and civilian naval vessels traveling through the
Straits of Gibraltar. The military authorities have now been ordered
to plan the operation, to begin as soon as possible.
The North Atlantic Council, the Alliance's highest decision-making
body, decided to extend NATO's Operation Active Endeavour to include
escorting non-military ships traveling through the Straits to maintain
security in the area and to secure the safe transit of designated
Allied ships.
The narrow Straits of Gibraltar are widely recognised as a potential
site of terrorist attacks, and so the measure has been agreed as a
precaution. "These additional measure are meant to protect commercial
and civilian shipping from possible new threats, such as terrorist
attacks," said NATO Spokesperson Yves Brodeur.
Operation Active Endeavour was initiated on 26 October 2001 to monitor
shipping in the eastern Mediterranean as part of measures aimed at
assisting the United States after the 11 September attacks. As such it
is a valuable part of the worldwide campaign against terrorism, and is
part of the NATO action that followed the declaration of Article 5 on
September 12, 2001. Since the start of the operation more than 24,000
merchant vessels were monitored.
The escort operations will start after the Council approves the
revised operational guidelines for Active Endeavour.
Additional information:
Operation Active Endeavour 
http://www.afsouth.nato.int/operations/Endeavour/default.htm
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)