Iran captives could face trial
filed in Iran Crisis on Mar.31, 2007
The crew has been held captive for more than a week |
The 15 Royal Navy personnel held captive by Iran could stand trial for “entering Iranian waters”, a senior Iranian diplomat has said.Gholamreza Ansari, Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, is quoted as telling Russian TV they may face “illegal action” charges.
But the UK government says the captives were seized in Iraqi waters and has demanded their “immediate” return.
The US has ruled out a deal to exchange the Navy personnel for five Iranians it captured in Iraq in January.
According to Iran’s IRNA news agency, Mr Ansari told Russian television legal moves against the 15 had already started “and if charges against them are proven, they will be punished”.
Raid
Britain denies Iran’s claims that the UK crew was in its waters when seized on 23 March.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “Our position has not changed. We have made it clear that they were inside Iraqi waters and we want them returned immediately.”
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UK VERSION OF EVENTS 1 Crew boards merchant ship 1.7NM inside Iraqi waters |
Earlier, US state department spokesman Sean McCormack rejected suggestions that a swap could be made for five Iranians, believed to be members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.
They were captured in a raid in the city of Irbil, along with equipment which the Americans say shows clear Iranian links to networks supplying Iraqi insurgents with technology and weapons.
US officials have condemned Iran’s actions and publicly supported the UK.
Mr McCormack said: “The international community is not going to stand for the Iranian government trying to use this issue to distract the rest of the world from the situation in which Iran finds itself vis-a-vis its nuclear programme.”
Prime Minister Tony Blair has condemned Iran for “parading” the UK crew on television in a way which would only “enhance people’s sense of disgust”.
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IRANIAN VERSION OF EVENTS 1 Royal Navy crew stray 0.5km inside Iranian waters
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But a former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Said Rajai Khorasani, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme Mr Blair had been too “authoritative” in his approach.
He added: “He could have said for instance, ‘Well, even if there is possibly a mistake, in the light of good relations between the two countries, I hope that you will facilitate their release.’
“I mean that’s a more friendly - let’s say phraseology - than dictating, you know, immediately and unconditionally, and so on and so forth.”
‘Sacrificed’
In what appeared to be an edited broadcast on an Iranian channel on Friday, captured sailor Nathan Thomas Summers said: “I would like to apologise for entering your waters without permission.”
He was shown alongside two colleagues, one of whom was Leading Seaman Faye Turney, from Shropshire, who had been broadcast apologising to Iran earlier in the week.
A letter, allegedly from LS Turney, was released on Friday in which she said she had been “sacrificed” to UK and US government policy.
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European Union foreign ministers, meeting in Bremen, Germany, called for “the immediate and unconditional release” of the sailors and expressed “unconditional support” for Britain’s position.
UK Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett described the latest footage as “quite appalling” and “blatant propaganda”.
She also said she had replied to a letter from the Iranian government, but no detail of the contents was given.
The Iranian letter had not suggested Tehran was looking for a solution to “this difficult situation”, Ms Beckett added.
The BBC has been able to confirm the names of six of the 15 captured sailors and marines.
Along with LS Turney and Nathan Summers, who is from Cornwall, they are Paul Barton from Southport, Danny Masterton from Ayrshire, Joe Tindall from south London and Adam Sperry from Leicester.
The Britons, based on HMS Cornwall, were seized by Revolutionary Guards as they returned from searching a vessel in the northern Gulf.
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