Rome - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti on Wednesday asked his Somali counterpart, Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, to help secure the release of an Italian tanker hijacked by pirates in December.

During a meeting in Rome, Monti expressed hope that Somali authorities 'would do all in their power' to free the Enrico Ievoli and its crew of 18 - six Italian nationals, seven Indians, and 5 Ukrainians, the Italian premier's office said in a statement.

The Enrico Ievoli was hijacked off the coast of Oman on December 27 after its captain phoned to say that the vessel had been boarded by a group of pirates.

For his part Ali, whose pro-Western government is backed by an African Union military mission in its fight against Islamist militants, thanked Italy - Somalia's former colonial master - for its support in efforts to achieve stability in the Horn of Africa nation.

Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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