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'Admit they were in our waters'
28/03/2007 23:16 - (SA)
Riyadh - London must accept its 15
British sailors were arrested in Iranian waters before a
solution to the crisis can be found, Iranian foreign minister
Manouchehr Mottaki said on Wednesday.
"Due to the nature of the issue, we should stand on common
points for solving the problem. The first step being what is the
real picture of the incident," Mottaki told Reuters in Riyadh.
"The real picture is that the British sailors were arrested
in the territorial waters of Iran ... this must be accepted by
the government of the UK," added Mottaki on the sidelines of an
Arab summit in the Saudi capital.
"The second step is finalising and completing the
investigation and based on these two points and by accepting
these two points there could be a starting points for solving
the problem," he said.
British foreign secretary Margaret Beckett earlier told
parliament Britain would freeze all official bilateral business
with Iran apart from efforts to resolve the crisis.
Iran seized the British personnel last week and Iran insists
they were inside Iranian waters at the time.
Britain said there was no doubt they were in Iraqi waters
and entitled to be there when they were seized, repeating a
demand they be released.
Britain's defence ministry said that global positioning data
showed the British sailors and marines were 1.7 nautical miles
within Iraqi waters when they were captured by Iranian gunboats.
"No, these (Iranian views) are very exact facts," he said
when asked for comment.
Asked to confirm reports that Tehran plans to release Faye
Turney, the only British servicewoman held along with 14 sailors
and Marines, by Thursday, Mottaki said: "As soon as possible."
- Reuters
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