INTERVIEW-UK Navy Chief Says Navies Won't Eradicate Piracy

By Jonathan Saul

LONDON, Jan 8 (Reuters) - Efforts by foreign navies to combat Somali piracy off the Horn of Africa country's coast have made a difference but they will not be able to eradicate attacks by seaborne gangs, Britain's navy chief said on Friday. Somali pirates have stepped up attacks in recent months, making millions of dollars in ransom by hijacking ships in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, which links Europe to Asia.

Admiral Mark Stanhope said navies were dealing with 1.1 million square miles of water to monitor.

"We are not going to eradicate piracy -- it's still a very very large area," he told Reuters in an interview...