NATO defense ministers agreed on Thursday to send warships off the coast of Somalia to escort World Food Program (WFP) food shipments to Somalians said the alliance.

The decision was made at an informal meeting of NATO defense ministers after NATO was approached for help by both the WFP and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said NATO spokesman James Appathurai.

"There will soon be NATO military vessels off the coast of Somalia, deterring piracy and escorting food shipments," he told reporters.

NATO ships would arrive in the region in two weeks, but details need to be worked out, said the NATO spokesman.

A NATO standing group of warships, composed of seven vessels in total, will be used for the mission. But how many of these ships will be deployed and which ship does what still needs to be worked out, he said.

Currently a Canadian warship is escorting WFP food shipments off Somalia. But its mandate ends soon.

Rampant piracy on the waters is making food shipments impossible without escorts. At the same time the WFP shipments are crucial as over 40 percent of the Somali population depends on WFP food aid.

Apart from escorting the WFP shipments, the NATO warships will also patrol the waters to help stop acts of piracy, said Appathurai.

He said NATO will coordinate with the European Union mission, which is already in the area, to ensure that there is no competition.

(Xinhua News Agency October 10, 2008)