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Brits go private

(BRUSSELS2) Merchant ships flying the British flag will be able to carry armed private guards. This is what the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced on Sunday at the with the BBC on One's Andrew Marr Show. Guards will be licensed by the Ministry of Interior. About 200 ships displaying the red ensign - the British flag reserved for civilian ships (the Union Jack is reserved for Royal Navy ships) - regularly cruise off the coast of Somalia. And half of them - around a hundred - could benefit from this measure quickly, according to official sources. A turning point in British policy which, until now, was reluctant to this job. The measure was concerted with other countries of the Commonwealth, which met in Australia, explained D. Cameron. Reason for this change. " There is an obvious. Ships with armed guards are not attacked, held hostage or ransom” according to Cameron.

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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