The European Union has reached a political agreement in principle to launch a military operation to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea, its top diplomat announced on Monday. The EU has no plans to participate in the current US attacks against the positions of the militant Islamist Houthi movement in Yemen, it said. The United States together with the United Kingdom and others have attacked Houthi targets in the region. The EU mission would involve deploying European warships and airborne early warning systems to protect cargo ships in the area. EU foreign ministers agreed to the plan afte…