Eight NATO ships anchoring in Casablanca

A group of eight ships, forming the NATO anti-mine force in southern Europe, is presently anchoring in the port of Casablanca.

The force commander, Captain Fernando Lista Blanco, explained at a press conference held on board one of the ships that the stay, to last until May 15, is part of the NATO "dialogue" with south Mediterranean countries in a bid "to contribute to security and stability in the Mediterranean" and "better understanding."

This dialogue will encompass cooperation in scientific research and other fields like rescue operation, said another officer of the NATO group which comprises seven mine-sweeping ships from Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Greece, Italy, Spain, England and Turkey.

Incepted in 1999, the force one of NATO's four immediate reaction forces is deployed in all the Mediterranean and could intervene elsewhere to fulfill one NATO strategic concepts. It had taken part in "Allied Harvest" operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina.