Faye Turney, the only woman crew member
of the 15 British sailors and marines detained at sea last week, speaks
during an interview on Iranian television March 28, 2007. Britain kept up
pressure on Iran on Thursday to release 15 military personnel seized last
week in the northern Gulf, a standoff that has stoked Middle East tensions
and sent shockwaves through the oil market. Image taken March 28,
2007.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad on Saturday accused the West of their "arrogant" stance on the
British sailors detention issue, insisting the British soldiers trespassed the
Iranian waters, the official IRNA news agency reported.
"The world arrogant powers don't apologize over
trespassing by British sailors, but deliver statement and speeches," Ahmadinejad
was quoted as saying when he addressed a large group in Iran's southeastern city
of Andinmeshk.
"The British forces trespassed our waters, our border
guards seized them with great skill and bravery," he added, meanwhile accusing
"the arrogant and selfish powers are claiming otherwise".
This is not the first time for Ahmadinejad to comment
the incident. On Thursday, he accused the British government of trying to solve
the issue through propaganda and not diplomacy.
Last Friday, 15 British naval personnel were seized
by Iranian forces when they were patrolling off the Iraqi borders.
Iran has insisted that the British boats illegally
entered its territorial waters. But Britain said its soldiers were in Iraqi
territorial waters.
Britain has received full support from other Western
countries. The EU on Friday issued a statement in Germany, urging the Iranian
government to release the detained British sailors immediately.
The UN Security Council in a statement on Thursday
also called for early solution of the 15 British sailors detained by Iran.
Iranian foreign ministry on Saturday angrily
dismissed the EU statement, warning the EU not to make "irresponsible comments"
anymore.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki on Saturday also
warned the British government not to politicize the seizure issue of its 15
sailors if it wants to find a solution.
TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday angrily
dismissed the "biased and interventionist" stance of the European Union
(EU)towards the seizure incident of 15 British sailors, warning the EU not to
make "irresponsible comments" anymore, the official IRNA news agency
reported.
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- German
Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated Friday appeal for Iran to free
the 15 British sailors captured last week, saying Iran must be constructive on
the matter.
"A solution must be sought before things are brought to a
trialand before the sailors are sentenced," he said at the two-day European
Union foreign ministers' informal meeting in Bremen, Germany.
Television grab of Nathan Thomas Summers
speaking on Iranian television March 30, 2007. (Xinhua/AFP
Photo)
TEHRAN, March 31 (Xinhua) -- Iran warned on
Saturday that theBritish government should not politicize the seizure issue of
its15 sailors if it wants to find a solution, local media reported.
LONDON, March 30 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian
embassy in London released Friday a third letter allegedly written by detained
British sailor Faye Turney, saying she was "sacrificed" for the policies of the
British and U.S. governments.
"I'm writing to you as a British serviceperson who has
been sent to Iraq, sacrificed due to the intervening policies of the Bush and
Blair governments," the letter said.
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- German Foreign Minister
Frank-Walter Steinmeier repeated Friday appeal for Iran to free the 15 British
sailors captured last week, saying Iran must be constructive on the matter.
"A solution must be sought before things are brought to a
trialand before the sailors are sentenced," he said at the two-day European
Union foreign ministers' informal meeting in Bremen, Germany.
TEHRAN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Iran's state television
showed on Friday a footage of a male British naval serviceman confessing to
entering Iran "without permission."
"I deeply apologize for entering your waters," the
British sailor, identified as Nathan Thomas Summers, said in an interview with
the Al-Alam, Iran's state-run Arabic-language television.
TEHRAN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Another sailor among the
15 British naval personnel seized by Iranian forces last week has confessed to
"illegal entry" into Iranian waters, the official IRNA news agency reported on
Friday.
"We entered Iranian waters illegally and were
detained by Iranian guards," the male sailor was quoted by IRNA as saying.
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- European Union foreign
ministers will jointly urge Iran on Friday to immediately release the 15 British
sailors captured last week.
At a two-day informal meeting in Bremen, Germany, the
ministers from the 27 EU member states are to warn Iran to end its standoff with
Britain over the sailors as soon as it can, German news agency DPA reported,
citing the diplomats. Full story
A video grab taken from the Iranian
television station Al-Alam TV shows (L-R) British sailor Nathan Thomas
Summers, British servicewoman Faye Turney and an unidentified sailor
sitting in an unidentified location. (AFP Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
TEHRAN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- Another sailor among the
15 British naval personnel seized by Iranian forces last week has confessed to
"illegal entry" into Iranian waters, the official IRNA news agency reported on
Friday.
"We entered Iranian waters illegally and were
detained by Iranian guards," the male sailor was quoted by IRNA as saying.
"I would like to apologize to the Iranian people for
this," he added.
BERLIN, March 30 (Xinhua) -- European Union foreign
ministers will jointly urge Iran on Friday to immediately release the 15 British
sailors captured last week.
At a two-day informal meeting in Bremen, Germany, the
ministers from the 27 EU member states are to warn Iran to end its standoff with
Britain over the sailors as soon as it can, German news agency DPA reported,
citing the diplomats.
LONDON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Tony
Blair Thursday called for "unconditional release" of 15 British Navy personnel
detained by Iran last week.
In an interview with ITV television, Blair said that
"the important thing is we just keep making it very, very clear to the Iranian
government it is not a situation that will be relieved by anything but the
unconditional release of all our people."
TEHRAN, March 29 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that his country will "positively" examine Turkey's
request to release the female British sailor, state television reported.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged
Iran to allow a Turkish envoy to meet the detained British sailors and also
asked Ahmadinejad to release the only British woman sailor, the report
said.
LONDON, March 29 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Tony
Blair Thursday called for "unconditional release" of 15 British Navy personnel
detained by Iran last week.
In an interview with ITV television, Blair said that
"the important thing is we just keep making it very, very clear to the Iranian
government it is not a situation that will be relieved by anything but the
unconditional release of all our people."
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2007-03-31 20:24:10
