Rome (dpa) – 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. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/uP3XE Tags: Italy, Monit, Pirates, Somalia Section: East Africa, Europe, Latest News