Posted on 03/31/2007 1:02:40 PM PDT by traumer
Britain is looking for a speedy and peaceful end to the crisis over 15 Royal Navy personnel held captive by Iran, the foreign secretary has said.
Margaret Beckett described earlier comments by an Iranian diplomat, who said the group could face legal action, as "unhelpful".
Gholamreza Ansari said "legal process" had started but denied reports quoting him saying the group may face trial.
A British diplomatic note has been sent to the Iranians.
Mrs Beckett said: "I think everyone regrets that this position has arisen. What we want is a way out of it - we want it peacefully and we want it as soon as possible."
'Misquoted'
Iran's official IRNA news agency earlier carried a report saying Mr Ansari, Iran's ambassador to Moscow, had told Russian television that legal moves had already started against the 15 and that there was a possibility they could stand trial.
But the agency later quoted Mr Ansari saying the television channel had made a "translation mistake" and that he had not mentioned the prospect of a trial.
UK VERSION OF EVENTS 1 Crew boards merchant ship 1.7NM inside Iraqi waters 2 HMS Cornwall was south-east of this, and inside Iraqi waters 3 Iran tells UK that merchant ship was at a different point, still within Iraqi waters 4 After UK points this out, Iran provides alternative position, now within Iranian waters
Britain denies Iran's claims that the UK crew was in its waters when seized on 23 March and is demanding their "immediate" return.
Speaking at a European Union summit in the German city of Bremen, Mrs Beckett said she had replied to an earlier letter from the Iranian government, but gave no detail of the contents.
She stressed the British government wanted the situation resolved quickly.
"We continue to express our willingness to engage in dialogue and discussion, to come to a resolution of this issue," she said.
'Thinking afresh'
She expressed her "concern" over claims by Mr Ansari that the British personnel could face legal action.
"I don't think it's helpful to Iran, I don't think it's helpful to our detainees - I think that is not the tone really that I would wish anyone to strike," she said.
IRANIAN VERSION OF EVENTS 1 Royal Navy crew stray 0.5km inside Iranian waters 2 Iran gives set of co-ordinates to back up their claims 3 According to seized GPS equipment, the Royal Navy crew had previously entered Iranian waters at several other points 4 Iran informs Britain of the position where the crew were seized, inside Iranian waters
Both versions in more detail
But she added that things had "gone a little quieter" in the negotiations and she hoped that was "a good sign" that Iran was "thinking afresh what is the way out of this situation".
BBC diplomatic correspondent James Robbins said although their was no sign of a major diplomatic breakthrough in the crisis, there was now a sense of dialogue between the two countries.
Both sides appeared to be "lowering the temperature", he added.
Earlier, US state department spokesman Sean McCormack rejected suggestions that a swap could be made for five Iranians captured in Iraq by US forces in January.
The Iranians, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Guard, were taken 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.
Condemnation
US officials have condemned Iran's actions over the 15 Navy personnel and publicly supported the UK.
And EU foreign ministers, meeting in Bremen, called for "the immediate and unconditional release" of the sailors and expressed "unconditional support" for Britain's position.
Prime Minister Tony Blair has also criticised Iran for "parading" the UK crew on television in a way which would only "enhance people's sense of disgust".
HAVE YOUR SAY They will have to be released by diplomatic means and I believe that this will happen Neil Whittaker, Lancashire, UK
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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.
Along with LS Turney and Nathan Summers, who is from Cornwall, Paul Barton from Southport, Danny Masterton from Ayrshire, Joe Tindall from south London and Adam Sperry from Leicester are among those being held by Iran.
The Britons, based on HMS Cornwall, were seized by Revolutionary Guards as they returned from searching a vessel in the northern Gulf.
Please don't, LOL.
Yes, yes, let's all be peaceful about it.
And Britain had a true leader in WWII with Winston Churchill at the helm and not Neville Chamberlain...
Peace through strength....
Excellent point.
LOL, but you get my point.
Britain should be treated with the same standards as the USA treats itself.
These people, and by that I mean the aforesaid sailors and marines, are being boo-fooed (or, in American vernacular, cornholed), by the very people who were charged with looking out for them.
Accordingly, I believe that the British powers that be should rechristen the HMS Cornwall as the HMS Cornhole. They will, of course, ignore this. As they are also ignoring their responsibility to their troops.
Yo, Britannia!!! Grow a set!!!
You pathetic effeminate weenies can have a peaceful resolution. Simply submit. You are dealing with men (albeit murderous men) not your own limp wristed kind.
That's a good point but, in that case, we had landed on Chinese soil so some diplomacy was in order.
Save for the BBC, the UN and Rosie O'Donnell, no one is in any doubt that the Brits were seized outside of Iran, which makes it no different than if they were seized on the English Channel.
Wrong. The Canadian Army was only battle-ready division in England, the RCAF was engaged in the Battle of Britain and in the bombing campaign, the RCN was fighting U-boats in the North Atlantic, Canadian factories were arming the British military, and Canadian farms were feeding the British people.
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