Switzerland may send soldiers to protect ships off Somalia coast

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(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-22 10:02

GENEVA -- Switzerland may place soldiers aboard Swiss merchant ships sailing in waters near Somalia to fend off the threat of pirates, local media reported on Sunday.

"There is no other solution than to send soldiers if our ships are threatened," Swiss President Pascal Couchepin was quoted as saying by the Sonntags Zeitung newspaper.

Couchepin, who is also the country's interior minister, said the Swiss cabinet had not made a final decision, but its position was clear on this issue.

He said the Swiss government was now reviewing "what legal, financial and practical consequences" such an action would have.

Somali pirates have recently made frequent attacks on merchant ships sailing in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

Given the seriousness of the threat, the UN Security Council has authorized states to take actions to fight piracy in nearby waters of Somalia.

Landlocked Switzerland has a merchant fleet of 35 ships -- mainly container vessels -- on the high seas.