Iranians release British sailors

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says 15 British naval personnel captured in the Gulf are free to leave.

He repeated Iran's view that the British sailors and marines "invaded" Iranian waters, but said they were being released as a "gift" to Britain.

They are expected to be handed to the British embassy in Tehran on Thursday morning before flying home.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the news would come as "a profound relief" to the crew and their families.

Iranian media said the British crew members "shouted for joy" on hearing the news.

The British embassy in Tehran said it had now seen the sailors for the first time, and it was arranging the details of their travel home. But it was not clear where they were spending the night.

Earlier, television pictures showed the Iranian president smiling, chatting and shaking hands with the crew at the presidential palace in Tehran.


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Of course diplomacy worked, it was a diplomatic incident
Colin Campbell, Stockholm, Sweden

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Families' joy and relief
He joked to one: "How are you? So you came on a mandatory vacation?"

The Britons were wearing suits, rather than the military uniform and tracksuits they wore in previous pictures. The one female crew member, Faye Turney, wore a blue headscarf and jacket.

An unidentified crew member said: "I'd like to say that myself and my whole team are very grateful for your forgiveness. I'd like to thank yourself and the Iranian people... Thank you very much, sir."

Mr Ahmadinejad responded in Farsi: "You are welcome."

'Theatrical gesture'

Mr Ahmadinejad announced the decision to release the Britons at a news conference In Tehran.


Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad awards medals to coast guard commanders
The British government was not even brave enough to tell their people the truth
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

Ahmadinejad excerpts
Ending it with a flourish
US welcomes release
He spoke at length, attacking the West over its policy in the Middle East, and it was more than an hour before he even mentioned the captives issue.

He repeated allegations that the Britons were captured in Iranian waters, and awarded medals to the Iranian commanders responsible for detaining them.

It was all part of the build up to his extraordinary theatrical gesture, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent James Robbins.

"We have every right to put these people on trial," Mr Ahmadinejad asserted.


UK VERSION OF EVENTS
1 Crew boards merchant ship 1.7NM inside Iraqi waters
2 HMS Cornwall was south-east of this, and inside Iraqi waters
3 Iran tells UK that merchant ship was at a different point, still within Iraqi waters
4 After UK points this out, Iran provides alternative position, now within Iranian waters

Both versions in more detail
Dividing lines of Shatt al-Arab
Q&A: Iran's handling
"But I want to give them as a present to the British people to say they are all free."

He said they were being pardoned to mark both the Prophet Muhammad's birthday on 30 March, and the upcoming Easter holiday.

"I'm asking Mr Blair to not put these 15 personnel on trial because they admitted they came to Iranian territorial water," he added, referring to taped "confessions" made by the British sailors and marines.

Britain says the 15 were in Iraqi waters under a UN mandate when they were captured nearly two weeks ago. It says the confessions were extracted under duress.

"Unfortunately the British government was not even brave enough to tell their people the truth, that it made a mistake," Mr Ahmadinejad said.

The Iranian leader said no concessions had been made by the British government to secure the releases, but that Britain had pledged "that the incident would not be repeated".

'We respect Iran'

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Britain's approach to the crisis had been "firm but calm - not negotiating but not confronting either".

He did not thank or address the Iranian president, but said to the Iranian people: "We bear you no ill will. On the contrary, we respect Iran as an ancient civilisation, as a nation with a proud and dignified history.

"The disagreements we have with your government we wish to resolve peacefully through dialogue. I hope - as I've always hoped - that in the future we are able to do so."


IRANIAN VERSION OF EVENTS
1 Royal Navy crew stray 0.5km inside Iranian waters
2 Iran gives set of co-ordinates to back up their claims
3 According to seized GPS equipment, the Royal Navy crew had previously entered Iranian waters at several other points
4 Iran informs Britain of the position where the crew were seized, inside Iranian waters
The solution to the crisis - freeing the Britons while rewarding the Iranian commanders of the operation - appears to be a face-saving compromise, says the BBC's Frances Harrison in Tehran.

She says speculation is likely to continue over whether it had anything to do with developments in Iraq, where an Iranian envoy has reportedly been given access to five Iranians captured by US forces, and where a kidnapped diplomat was released on Tuesday.

Earlier on Wednesday Syria revealed that it had been mediating between Iran and the UK over the sailors and marines.

The family of one of the captives, Royal Marine Adam Sperry, hailed the announcement as "the best present imaginable".

"Whoever has been in the right or wrong, the whole thing has been a political mess, so let's just get them home," said his uncle, Ray Cooper.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/6525905.stm

If this was wrestling then Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would face off against Tony Blair in a cage match with Bush ringside.

When they are safely home we should go and sink every military ship they own,then let them try that again.

I suppose they will be tried in the UK, when they arrive home, for treason..did you see what they ( the Brtish captive sailors) were saying on Al Jazeera?

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...BBE2A36665.htm

I think I would say whatever they wanted if I was held captive in a foreign land,it' obvious to anyone that they were coerced into what they said with threats of torture.

There would be a huge public outcry if they were put on trial for treason.

In the olden days, captives would never say things like that on TV..true, we didn't have TV then, but still you get the drift...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thewizeard

In the olden days, captives would never say things like that on TV..true, we didn't have TV then, but still you get the drift...

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No, not at all. :dabs:

Should I explain? I am already in trouble enough, with Barbarossa, for saying nothing, with a lot of words, had a feeling manker is pissed of with me in the Man Unt. thread, an now you are homing in on me..I think I better pass, on this one.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thewizeard

Should I explain? I am already in trouble enough, with Barbarossa, for saying nothing, with a lot of words, had a feeling manker is pissed of with me in the Man Unt. thread, an now you are homing in on me..I think I better pass, on this one.

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I'm not homing in, I was just pointing out that your sentence made no real sense.

If you are suggesting that POWs of yesteryear would not crumble in similar conditions then I disagree. I've been doing a little reading around the subject for my final war writing essay and most POWs or the like I've read about would do whatever it takes to survive.

I also imagine they were more cooperative since we're not actually at war.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Cheese

Quote:

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Originally Posted by thewizeard

Should I explain? I am already in trouble enough, with Barbarossa, for saying nothing, with a lot of words, had a feeling manker is pissed of with me in the Man Unt. thread, an now you are homing in on me..I think I better pass, on this one.

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I'm not homing in, I was just pointing out that your sentence made no real sense.

If you are suggesting that POWs of yesteryear would not crumble in similar conditions then I disagree. I've been doing a little reading around the subject for my final war writing essay and most POWs or the like I've read about would do whatever it takes to survive.

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They never wrote about the shite POWs.

I bet there were some right sissy girls who couldn't hack a bit of torture and indefinite captivity.

:lol::earl:

I also love the way you used "hack" and "torture" in the same sentence.

Nice work.

I'm glad to hear they made it back...noice.

Peace,Paul

Our nuke will have 'happy xmas raghead' written on it.

I was about to move this to TDR.

Now I am torn, as it seems to lack the requisite seriosity. :dabs:

Oh, screw it...over she goes-

WHY - if the chap wanted only serious discussion he would have put it there. That's kind of the point.

If you think there should be a serious discussion regarding this topic then someone can start one, in TDR.

That's not difficult.

All right, first, I didn't realise that sentences had to make sense in the lounge. This was perhaps too serious a subject to jest with at that moment.

However, they were..erm, how do you say it, well it appeared that some were laughing about it, "fraternising with the enemy" so to speak. They "crumbled" within a couple of days too. Still, for their families this is great news! :) Well done Tony Blair?

See, you'll just get pish like that

Move this to Gheymesworld, please.

This is just nonsense, to The Lounge says I.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnnY

Move this to Gheymesworld, please.

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To be honest, this event would make for a poor game. It'd be kind of like Escape from Monkey Island. But with no escaping. Or monkeys. And no island.

Okay, SnnY.

Clear this up - are you serious or not.

You can see why I diddit, huh? :dabs:

I can undo my mistake if that's what it is...

Worst move ever. Fact.

Who decided we weren't allowed to be serious in the lounge?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j2k4

You can see why I diddit, huh? :dabs:

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No, I posted it in the lounge because I wasn't being serious. If I wanted a serious discussion on the topic I would have posted in the Serious Room.

I didn't really care about the article, I was just taking the piss out of the news posters, and this was the first one that came up on my RSS feed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snee

Worst movie ever. Fact.

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Underworld? Definitely agree.

Stupid Automerge :dry:

Now you are the FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG.

http://beerbrains.mu.nu/archives/selenekate.jpg
AhMahGah hawt!

Just look at the replies.

The clues are all there.

Just because the subject matter may be considered serious does not mean it needs to be discussed in a serious manner.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snee

Now you are the FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG.

http://beerbrains.mu.nu/archives/selenekate.jpg
AhMahGah hawt!

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I see your Beckinsale and raise you a

http://www.nerf-herders-anonymous.ne...RachelLeia.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnnY

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snee

Now you are the FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAG.

http://beerbrains.mu.nu/archives/selenekate.jpg
AhMahGah hawt!

---

I see your Beckinsale and raise you a

http://www.nerf-herders-anonymous.ne...RachelLeia.jpg

---

I just don't see the hawt there. Between the manly lower jaw, and that voice, she's just bleh.

Fag.

Well your Beckinsale looks like she's on heroin.

Fag.

Easier to get laid with that way.

Fag.

I'd do both, jointly or severally.

If pressed I'd have to plump for Beckinsale.

Her Dad was in Porridge.

That's not the reason like.

It just happens to be true.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SnnY

No, I posted it in the lounge because I wasn't being serious. If I wanted a serious discussion on the topic I would have posted in the Serious Room.

I didn't really care about the article, I was just taking the piss out of the news posters, and this was the first one that came up on my RSS feed.

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Alright.

On your word, then; let it never be said I wasn't willing to buck the coalition.