BRITAIN WARNS IRAN AFTER RANSOM DEMANDS
British sailors on patrol in Iraq Sunday March 25,2007 By Stuart Winter, Foreign Editor FEARS that 15 kidnapped British seamen and marines - including one woman sailor - have been forced to make false confessions sparked a diplomatic crisis today. Iranian military officials claimed that the seized servicemen had admitted straying illegally into their waters - raising the question whether the admission was beaten from them. Whitehall sent a stern warning to Iran not to "humiliate or harm a hair on the head" of the naval personnel after it was revealed the captives had been moved to Tehran within hours of their seizure. But last night the diplomatic fall out from the incident reached crisis point as the Iranians first called for a ransom for the sailors and then revealed that they had made "confessions". The Iranians claimed the sailors had admitted "illegal entry into Iran's waters" - and that Britain should make "recompense" for the aggressive act. Throughout yesterday British diplomats warned their Iranian counterparts to respect the sailors' rights. Our border guards did their duty. Iranian Government spokesman The Iranians were told not to parade their captives before television cameras and also to treat them with dignity and respect. But the confession claim, made shortly afterwards by General Ali Reza Afshar in Tehran, dramatically increased tensions. "The said personnel are being interrogated and have confessed to aggression into the Islamic Republic of Iran waters," he said. The general told Iranian state radio, however, that the Britons were in good health. "The investigation is going on and they are healthy and there is no problem." He also threatened to make the "confessions" public but without specifying how. Last night an intelligence source said: "The Iranians have been told in no uncertain terms that they must treat the servicemen with respect and dignity. They must not parade them on television. In fact, the Iranians must not harm one hair on their heads." Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said she was "extremely disturbed" at developments. Mrs Beckett, who is following events closely from her Derby South constituency, said the incident had also been raised with the Iranian authorities by the British embassy in Tehran. In London, Lord Triesman, a junior Foreign Office minister, met the Iranian ambassador Rasoul Movahedian. The talks were described as "frank but friendly". A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "Lord Triesman reiterated our demand that the group be released immediately along with their equipment. "He also inquired about welfare issues, consular access and location of the group. "We have sought a full explanation of what happened and we are leaving them in no doubt that we want the immediate and safe return of our personnel and their equipment." Three years ago the Iranians caused outrage when they captured a party of eight Marines and sailors and paraded them blindfolded before TV cameras. They were held for three days. The then Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon said the group had been "forcibly escorted" by the Iranians into Iranian territorial waters. But last night the Iranians claimed they had proof of a Royal Naval incursion. Navigation equipment seized from the British sailors proved they had infiltrated their sovereign waters, they said. "The British troops who are in Iran's hands knew perfectly well that they were in Iranian territorial waters. Their navigation equipment proves it," said an official quoted by the Fars news agency. "Our border guards did their duty. The British navy should pay more attention to its navigation equipment." The boarding party from the frigate HMS Cornwall were searching a large cargo dhow for contraband in the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway on Friday when they were seized at gunpoint by Iranian troops in fast-attack speedboats mounted with machine guns. <http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/2712 <http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/2712> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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