ETERNITY

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Blair warns Iran over captured sailors
The Irish Times/ireland.com/Reuters ^ | 27/03/2007 13:03


Posted on 03/27/2007 10:06:21 AM PDT by DBCJR


Prime Minister Tony Blair warned today of a "different phase" if diplomatic efforts fail to secure the release of the 15 British Navy sailors and Marines held in Iran.

Mr Blair this morning said: "What we are trying to do at the moment is to pursue this through the diplomatic channels and make the Iranian government understand these people have to be released and that there is absolutely no justification whatever for holding them.

"I hope we manage to get them to realise they have to release them. If not, then this will move into a different phase.

"At the moment, what we are trying to do is to make sure that that diplomatic initiative works," the prime minister said.

Asked about what he meant by a "different phase", he said: "Well, we will just have to see, but what they should understand is that we cannot have a situation where our servicemen and women are seized when actually they are in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate, patrolling perfectly rightly and in accordance with that mandate, and then effectively captured and taken to Iran."

Iran says it has proof that the sailors were in Iranian waters when they were captured. It said today the captives are healthy and are being treated in a humane fashion.