Jon
03-23-07, 05:28 PM
buckle your seat belts, grab some popcorn...
"We've been assured from the scant communications that we've had
from the Iranians at the tactical level that the 15 people are safely
in their hands," he said.
The British defense ministry said that it was pursuing the incident "at
the highest level."
There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.
Lambert said the British sailors had been on a "normal, routine boarding"
of a vessel that had aroused suspicions as it navigated the Shatt al-Arab,
a disputed waterway that marks the border between Iraq and Iran on the
shores of the Persian Gulf.
British military patrols have been given authority to board vessels in Iraqi
waters under United Nations mandate and with the permission of the
government in Baghdad.
He said the captain of the merchant vessel had been cleared to proceed
and the two British inflatable patrol boats were readying for departure
when they were surrounded by the Iranian navy and taken into Iranian
waters.
Lambert said there is "absolutely no doubt in my mind" that the marines
were in Iraqi waters. But, he said, "The extent and the definition of territorial
waters in this part of the world is very complicated... We may well find, and
I hope we find, that this is a simple misunderstanding at a tactical level,"
he said.
"There hopefully has been a mistake that's been made, and we'll see earl
clarification and early release of my people."
Lambert added that the marines were doing critical work, "protecting the
oil platforms to ensure the economic future of Iraq."
He described the Iranian navy as "a multi-headed organization" that generally
stays within its territory doing its business, "and we stay inside Iraqi territory
doing our business."
The British defense ministry said: "We are urgently pursuing this matter with
the Iranian authorities at the highest level and on the instructions of the
Foreign Secretary, the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign
Office.
"The British government is demanding the immediate and safe return of our
people and equipment."
CNN's Aneesh Raman in Tehran said there had been no mention of the incident
on Iranian TV and calls to officials had not been answered.
It was not immediately clear where in Iran the British personnel were taken.
There was a previous similar incident in 2004, when Iran stopped three British
boats and seized eight sailors and six marines.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said at the time the three boats had crossed into
Iran's territorial waters. The detained servicemen appeared on Iranian
television blindfolded. They were released after Iran said it determined they
had mistakenly crossed into Iran's waters.
Britain, the United States' main ally in Iraq, has a large military presence in
southern Iraq, based out of the Shatt al-Arab port of Basra. A senior British
Army officer on Friday accused Iranian agents of paying Iraqi militia to carry
out attacks on coalition forces around Basra.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html
"We've been assured from the scant communications that we've had
from the Iranians at the tactical level that the 15 people are safely
in their hands," he said.
The British defense ministry said that it was pursuing the incident "at
the highest level."
There was no immediate comment from Iranian officials.
Lambert said the British sailors had been on a "normal, routine boarding"
of a vessel that had aroused suspicions as it navigated the Shatt al-Arab,
a disputed waterway that marks the border between Iraq and Iran on the
shores of the Persian Gulf.
British military patrols have been given authority to board vessels in Iraqi
waters under United Nations mandate and with the permission of the
government in Baghdad.
He said the captain of the merchant vessel had been cleared to proceed
and the two British inflatable patrol boats were readying for departure
when they were surrounded by the Iranian navy and taken into Iranian
waters.
Lambert said there is "absolutely no doubt in my mind" that the marines
were in Iraqi waters. But, he said, "The extent and the definition of territorial
waters in this part of the world is very complicated... We may well find, and
I hope we find, that this is a simple misunderstanding at a tactical level,"
he said.
"There hopefully has been a mistake that's been made, and we'll see earl
clarification and early release of my people."
Lambert added that the marines were doing critical work, "protecting the
oil platforms to ensure the economic future of Iraq."
He described the Iranian navy as "a multi-headed organization" that generally
stays within its territory doing its business, "and we stay inside Iraqi territory
doing our business."
The British defense ministry said: "We are urgently pursuing this matter with
the Iranian authorities at the highest level and on the instructions of the
Foreign Secretary, the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign
Office.
"The British government is demanding the immediate and safe return of our
people and equipment."
CNN's Aneesh Raman in Tehran said there had been no mention of the incident
on Iranian TV and calls to officials had not been answered.
It was not immediately clear where in Iran the British personnel were taken.
There was a previous similar incident in 2004, when Iran stopped three British
boats and seized eight sailors and six marines.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said at the time the three boats had crossed into
Iran's territorial waters. The detained servicemen appeared on Iranian
television blindfolded. They were released after Iran said it determined they
had mistakenly crossed into Iran's waters.
Britain, the United States' main ally in Iraq, has a large military presence in
southern Iraq, based out of the Shatt al-Arab port of Basra. A senior British
Army officer on Friday accused Iranian agents of paying Iraqi militia to carry
out attacks on coalition forces around Basra.
SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html