Wednesday, March 28, 2007
U.K. produces proof sailors were in Iraqi waters
Iran, U.K., Security
(AFP) - Britain on Wednesday produced evidence which it said proved that 15 of its sailors and marines held by Iran' name were "ambushed" in Iraqi waters, as Tehran insisted they had infringed on its territory. Military chiefs at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) used maps and GPS coordinates to argue that the naval personnel were clearly within Iraqi territorial waters at the northern end of the Gulf when they were seized last Friday.
The announcement marked a decisive switch from private to public diplomacy, after Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Tuesday that negotiations would enter a "different phase" if negotiations reached a dead end. The sailors were 1.7 nautical miles (3.15 kilometres) inside Iraqi territorial waters, Vice-Admiral Charles Style, deputy chief of the defence staff, told reporters.
The MoD said it disputed two sets of coordinates provided by Tehran, one inside Iraqi waters and one inside Iranian waters. "It is is hard to understand a legitimate reason for this change of coordinates," Style said. "In any case we unambiguously contest both the positions provided by the Iranians."
In a statement received by Sky News television, the Iranian embassy in London responded by insisting that the British personnel had "illegally entered" Iranian territorial waters. "This was a violation of (an) international border ... an intrusive act justfied their detention," the statement said. London argues that the eight sailors and seven marines were conducting "routine" anti-smuggling operations when they were seized at gunpoint.
Blair's spokesman said the MoD's evidence was "difficult to dispute." Diplomatic efforts seemed to have hit a stumbling block Tuesday when Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett cut short a visit to Turkey to brief parliament on the stand-off, having got nowhere in talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.
British Home Secretary, John Reid, a former defence secretary, said the situation was delicate and "very dangerous."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said diplomats from his country may be granted access to the British military personnel, after he held talks with the Iranian foreign minister. Britain could not immediately confirm this. Citing unnamed sources, the BBC said the British military personnel were being grilled at a Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran to find out if they were on an intelligence-gathering mission.
The announcement marked a decisive switch from private to public diplomacy, after Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Tuesday that negotiations would enter a "different phase" if negotiations reached a dead end. The sailors were 1.7 nautical miles (3.15 kilometres) inside Iraqi territorial waters, Vice-Admiral Charles Style, deputy chief of the defence staff, told reporters.
The MoD said it disputed two sets of coordinates provided by Tehran, one inside Iraqi waters and one inside Iranian waters. "It is is hard to understand a legitimate reason for this change of coordinates," Style said. "In any case we unambiguously contest both the positions provided by the Iranians."
In a statement received by Sky News television, the Iranian embassy in London responded by insisting that the British personnel had "illegally entered" Iranian territorial waters. "This was a violation of (an) international border ... an intrusive act justfied their detention," the statement said. London argues that the eight sailors and seven marines were conducting "routine" anti-smuggling operations when they were seized at gunpoint.
Blair's spokesman said the MoD's evidence was "difficult to dispute." Diplomatic efforts seemed to have hit a stumbling block Tuesday when Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett cut short a visit to Turkey to brief parliament on the stand-off, having got nowhere in talks with her Iranian counterpart Manouchehr Mottaki.
British Home Secretary, John Reid, a former defence secretary, said the situation was delicate and "very dangerous."
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said diplomats from his country may be granted access to the British military personnel, after he held talks with the Iranian foreign minister. Britain could not immediately confirm this. Citing unnamed sources, the BBC said the British military personnel were being grilled at a Revolutionary Guards base in Tehran to find out if they were on an intelligence-gathering mission.
Labels: British navy, Iran, Manouchehr Mottaki, Margaret Beckett, Turkey, U.K.
