Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Iran - U.K. navy personnel being treated 'humanely'
Iran, Security, Politics, U.K.
(AP) - Iran said Tuesday the 15 British sailors and marines it detained last week are healthy, have been treated in a humane manner and that the only female sailor among them had been given privacy. Hosseini would not say where the Britons were being kept and reiterated that their case is under investigation.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Iran has said it is questioning the British sailors and marines to determine if their alleged entry into Iranian waters was "intentional or unintentional" before deciding what to do with them, the first sign it could be seeking a way out of the standoff. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Tuesday he hopes diplomacy will win their release but is prepared to move to a "different phase" if not.
Asked what that meant, Blair replied: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate."
With the precise Iran, Iraq border line in the Shatt al-Arab in dispute, the fate of the 15 Britons may depend on Iran's interpretation of their intent and whether they strayed across the frontier by accident. On Saturday, Iran's military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar had said the 15 confessed to "aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran's waters." But Deputy Foreign Minister Mehzi Mostafavi took a softer line Monday. "It should become clear whether their entry was intentional or unintentional. After that is clarified, the necessary decision will be made," Mostafavi said.
Iran has refused to allow British officials to speak with the service members. But the official Iranian news agency said Iranian officials have told the British that their diplomats can see the 15 after the investigation is concluded.
There were fears in Britain that the fate of the 15 could get caught up in the political tensions between Tehran and the West, including the dispute over Iran's nuclear program and accusations of Iranian help to Shiite militants in Iraq. In particular, there were worries Iran might seek to use the prisoners as leverage in trying to get the U.S. to free at least five Iranians detained in Iraq for allegedly being part of a Revolutionary Guard force. Mostafavi denied Iran was seeking a trade, but there were calls from elsewhere within Iran's leadership for the government to hold out for a swap.
Some members of the Iranian public also called for the British sailors and marines to be held and tried. Hundreds of Iranian students demonstrated near the coast to urge a tough stand. Calls for the release of the Britons also came from the European Union, Iraq and the United States, under whose command the military search team was serving. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said the personnel were seized in Iraqi waters and should be released.
Iran's ambassador to Iraq, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Baghdad there was no connection between the capture and other disputes.
Labels: Blair, British navy, Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran, Mehzi Mostafavi, Mohammad Ali Hosseini, Shatt al-Arab
