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British sailors 'ambushed'
28/03/2007 14:05 - (SA)
London - Britain produced on Wednesday evidence, which it said proved that 15 of its sailors and marines held by Iran 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 co-ordinates 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 on Tuesday negotiations would enter a "different phase" if negotiations reached a dead end.
The sailors were 1.7 nautical miles (3.15km) inside Iraqi territorial waters, said vice-admiral Charles Style, deputy chief of the defence staff.
He said: "The action by Iranian forces in arresting and detaining our people is unjustified and wrong. As such it is a matter of deep concern to us."
The MoD said it disputed two sets of co-ordinates provided by Tehran, one inside Iraqi waters and one inside Iranian waters.
'Contest both positions'
Style said: "It is is hard to understand a legitimate reason for this change of co-ordinates.
"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 justified their detention," said the statement.
London argues that the eight sailors and seven marines were conducting "routine" anti-smuggling operations when they were seized at gunpoint.
Blair's spokesperson said the MoD's evidence was "difficult to dispute".
'Delicate and dangerous' situation
Diplomatic efforts seemed to have hit a stumbling block on 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".
"Let's just hope we get a speedy and a satisfactory resolution to this," Reid told Sky News television.
BBC reports also said that hardliners surrounding Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad believe the 15 could be useful pawns, either to trade for five Iranians being held by US forces in Iraq or for concessions over Iran's controversial nuclear programme.
The crisis over the detentions comes as tensions are also rising over Iran's disputed nuclear programme.
World oil prices rallied on Wednesday but remained under $69 per barrel - the level they briefly reached late on Tuesday in London.
- AFP
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