CNN.com: Iran: Captured UK sailor calls for troops out of Iraq

[jpillian]

Iran: Captured UK sailor calls for troops out of Iraq

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/29/iran.uk.sailors/index.html

"TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran released Thursday what it says is a second letter from captured British sailor Faye Turney in which she criticizes British policy in Iraq.

"Isn't it time for us to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and let them determine their own future?" said the letter, addressed to the British parliament and released to media organizations by the Iranian embassy in London.

It was the second letter in two days said to be from Turney, 26, who has also been shown on Iranian television. The first asked her parents to look after her husband and young daughter. (Watch Turney say what happened when she was captured )

Also Thursday, Iranian state television broadcast five seconds of footage that it said was of the operation that seized the 15 British sailors and marines in Iranian territorial waters last week.

Gunshots could be heard on the tape and a helicopter was shown above inflatable boats in choppy seas.

Iranian guard boats were seen cruising around while a couple of Iranian guardsmen shoot into the air.

Then the video showed some of the British troops -- including Turney -- seated in a boat with an Iranian flag, presumably after their capture.

An Iranian military official also appeared on state television giving a briefing about the incident, indicating on a map where he said it happened. The demonstration looked similar to a Wednesday briefing on the incident by British Vice Admiral Charles Style, who released a map of the Shatt al-Arab purporting to show the coordinates of the British boat when it was captured, along with pictures of handheld GPS devices showing the location.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said its position remained unchanged by the Iranian footage, The Associated Press reported.

Release delayed

Earlier Thursday, Iran said the 15 UK military personnel detained last week entered its waters six times before they were arrested.

Officials also announced that the promised release of Turney was suspended due to Britain's "behavior" in the matter.

"The wrong behavior of those who live in London caused the suspension," Iranian military commander Alireza Afshar said, according to the Mehr news agency.

Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Council, warned that Britain's tough stance in the matter was causing a delay in the release of Turney. (Watch as dispute grows more bitter )

On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said Turney would be released "very soon."

Larijani said Tehran would like to resolve the issue through bilateral discussions and an investigation of legal and technical issues, and again asserted that the British patrol boats entered Iranian waters illegally.

In London, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that Britain just wanted a solution.

"We do not want a confrontation over this. We want this resolved as quickly as possible," the spokesman told reporters.

Also Thursday, Britain's ambassador to Iran lodged an official complaint about the showing of the British detainees on Iranian television, the Foreign Office said. (Watch the controversial footage of the captured troops )

One video showed Turney wearing a black scarf covering her hair, "admitting" that she and her crew had gone into Iranian waters. (Full story)

UK seeks U.N. condemnation

The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the issue Thursday.

Britain's U.N. Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry intends to introduce a draft statement that would have the council "deplore" the detention of the British crew.

The language of the draft also says "members of the Security Council support calls for the immediate release" of the British personnel.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Mottaki on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thursday to talk about the situation.

On Wednesday, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett announced that London was freezing all bilateral government business with Iran until the 15 Britons were freed.

The dispute has sparked anti-British protests in Iran, raised Middle East tensions, already high over concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and sent shockwaves through the oil market.

In Tehran, Iranian protesters in front of the Foreign Ministry chanted and held banners demanding the British sailors and marines be put on trial, AP reported. One banner called for the Britons to be executed.

Thursday marked the sixth day Tehran has refused Britain consular access to the detained sailors and marines.

They were arrested March 23 as they conducted anti-smuggling patrols near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, at the northern end of the Persian Gulf.

A videotape released Wednesday showed some of the captives eating and Turney making a statement The waterway has long been the site of tensions between Iraq and Iran, which both claim it as their territory."

[jpillian]

I'm not getting this. This obviously smacks of coercion by the Iranian governement.

Why would they want this allusion as to their true goals in Iraq to come out in such an overhanded way?

[Sarge]

I wonder if the letter that was written by the sailor was in Arabic?

And again, where is Amnesty International? The International Red Cross?

[jpillian]

I wonder if the letter that was written by the sailor was in Arabic?

And again, where is Amnesty International? The International Red Cross?

That'd be a double mystery: I doubt either the British sailors or their Iraninan captors speak/write Arabic!

[Sarge]

That'd be a double mystery: I doubt either the British sailors or their Iraninan captors speak/write Arabic!

:finger:

OK, Farsi

[Redskins Diehard]

Do they have a "Code of Conduct" similar to ours?

[DixieFlatline]

And again, where is Amnesty International? The International Red Cross?

They only seem to be around when its the big bad West that has prisoners. I thought the parading around of prisoners violated the Geneva Convention?

[SoCalSkins]

:finger:

OK, Farsi

You mean Persian. Farsi is the Persian word for the language. The same way espnaol is the Spanish word for its language.

[ntotoro]

That'd be a double mystery: I doubt either the British sailors or their Iraninan captors speak/write Arabic!

It's not uncommon for Muslims to be able to speak/read Arabic, though.

[SoCalSkins]

It's not uncommon for Muslims to be able to speak/read Arabic, though.

Way more Iranians speak English than Arabic.

[Sarge]

You mean Persian. Farsi is the Persian word for the language. The same way espnaol is the Spanish word for its language.

Dammit! This is what you get for multi-tasking!

[jpillian]

I guess my point is: it's obvious from this (unless the Iranians are being REALLY duplicious) that Iran wants us out Iraq.

At times, this has come up for debate on this board because of the perspective/theory: "Why would Iran want the US to leave Iraq and democracy to fail? The shia are the majority there, and democracy will ensure they are in control as long as the US is there."

I'd say this is a very revealing look into their true aspirations.

I'd say they believe that if they can get the US to leave, they can influence Iraq in a way to give the Shia-majority in Iraq it's own Islamic Republic.

[Chump Bailey]

They only seem to be around when its the big bad West that has prisoners. I thought the parading around of prisoners violated the Geneva Convention?

Seems that way. The Red Cross actually has an outpost of sorts literally yards away from where the prisoners are housed at Gitmo I hear.

[Sarge]

I guess my point is: it's obvious from this (unless the Iranians are being REALLY duplicious) that Iran wants us out Iraq.

At times, this has come up for debate on this board because of the perspective/theory: "Why would Iran want the US to leave Iraq and democracy to fail? The shia are the majority there, and democracy will ensure they are in control as long as the US is there."

I'd say this is a very revealing look into their true aspirations.

I'd say they believe that if they can get the US to leave, they can influence Iraq in a way to give the Shia-majority in Iraq it's own Islamic Republic.

I'm almost to a point of saying "Let's go". Withdraw and let the Iraqi's/Sauds fight it out with the Iranians.

Let both of them bleed for awhile

[Loxley]

After watching Newsnight last night here on tv I think that this whole thing is a boat load of bs on the Iranian governments part. Sure we only hear one side of the details and there are several questions being asked of the Royal Navy (rules of engagement?) and how they could allow this to happen but that letter that was written and several other pieces of "information" dont really add up.

Some of the details in the letter arent true and the current thinking is that the lady who was taken prisoner was coerced into writing the letter or if she even had any part in it. Also one of the shots mentioned in the report above (the scene with the iranian flag in it) has one of the marines still carrying his weapon.

It raised a lot of questions here last night and today and is only going to put Iran into even less favourable light with Britain and the rest of the UN. On top of the problems they are facing in regards to their apparent nuclear program all this incident has done is stir the pot even further.

I for one am praying for safe return of our people.

[SkinsHokieFan]

After watching Newsnight last night here on tv I think that this whole thing is a boat load of bs on the Iranian governments part.

You didn't think this from the start? :whoknows:

[Larry]

I keep remembering, in the days leading up to Desert Storm, Saddam heald a press conference in which he appeared with several children who he wasn't allowing to leave the country "because it was too dangerous for them to leave".

In one scene, Saddam was rubbing the head of a blond-haired kid of about 10.

I've always wondered what idiot it was that thought that appearing on American TV with 10-year-old hostages would make an invasion less likely.

Do the Iranians honestly think that releasing obviously coerced statements of captured prisoners (and female prisoners, at that) will make people less likely to attack them? Is their mental image of us that skewed?

(Do their decision makers lie to themselves that much?)

[tinfoil](Has anybody checked to see if Cheney is actually faking these releases?) [/tinfoil]

[@DCGoldPants]

I keep remembering, in the days leading up to Desert Storm, Saddam heald a press conference in which he appeared with several children who he wasn't allowing to leave the country "because it was too dangerous for them to leave".

In one scene, Saddam was rubbing the head of a blond-haired kid of about 10.

I've always wondered what idiot it was that thought that appearing on American TV with 10-year-old hostages would make an invasion less likely.

Do the Iranians honestly think that releasing obviously coerced statements of captured prisoners (and female prisoners, at that) will make people less likely to attack them? Is their mental image of us that skewed?

(Do their decision makers lie to themselves that much?)

[tinfoil](Has anybody checked to see if Cheney is actually faking these releases?) [/tinfoil]

I remember that.

Something like "Did you like your cornflakes Stewart?"

[Sarge]

I keep remembering, in the days leading up to Desert Storm, Saddam heald a press conference in which he appeared with several children who he wasn't allowing to leave the country "because it was too dangerous for them to leave".

In one scene, Saddam was rubbing the head of a blond-haired kid of about 10.

I've always wondered what idiot it was that thought that appearing on American TV with 10-year-old hostages would make an invasion less likely.

Do the Iranians honestly think that releasing obviously coerced statements of captured prisoners (and female prisoners, at that) will make people less likely to attack them? Is their mental image of us that skewed?

(Do their decision makers lie to themselves that much?)

[tinfoil](Has anybody checked to see if Cheney is actually faking these releases?) [/tinfoil]

Yes, this is the way they think. Pretty strange, huh? And people want to let nuts like this have nukes

[Mickalino]

So, how long should the British restrain themselves before they should attack Iran ?

[Larry]

Possible Brit reaction:

Release a letter, which also claims to be from the sailor, (what's Iraq going to do, claim it's fake?) in which she asks the Navy to save a rifle for her, 'cause she's going to want one the instant she's released.

[Mad Mike]

I'm not getting this. This obviously smacks of coercion by the Iranian governement.

Why would they want this allusion as to their true goals in Iraq to come out in such an overhanded way?

Their goal of wanting us out of Iraq has never been hidden.

[Sarge]

"The wrong behavior of those who live in London caused the suspension," Iranian military commander Alireza Afshar said, according to the Mehr news agency.

I guess this behavior is OK?

[Shadowplay]

Having spent some time in that lovely area of the pond, I can tell you that the Shatt is a very contested area. Irregardless, I'm shocked that the Iranian Rev Guard would pull a stunt like this. It's very brazen, and may speak more to the idea that the Rev Guard is a maverick fraction within the Iranian military and doesn't answer to anyone.

[twa]

I guess my point is: it's obvious from this (unless the Iranians are being REALLY duplicious) that Iran wants us out Iraq.

At times, this has come up for debate on this board because of the perspective/theory: "Why would Iran want the US to leave Iraq and democracy to fail? The shia are the majority there, and democracy will ensure they are in control as long as the US is there."

I'd say this is a very revealing look into their true aspirations.

I'd say they believe that if they can get the US to leave, they can influence Iraq in a way to give the Shia-majority in Iraq it's own Islamic Republic.

The "democracy" part is what they fear,same as the other authoritarian regimes in the area.

A Iraq that is responsive to and governed by the populace is their worst nightmare.....and God help them if Iraq suceeds :2cents: