Here's what i got off yahoo news today...

http://www.yahoo.com/s/256151/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070329/ap_on_re_us/british_seized_iran


Britain takes case against Iran to U.N.

By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
UNITED NATIONS - Britain took its case to free its 15 sailors and marines held by
Iran to the United Nations on Thursday, asking the Security Council to support a statement that would "deplore" Tehran's action and demand their immediate release.
But Security Council diplomats said the brief press statement circulated by Britain's U.N. Mission is likely to face problems from Russia and others because it says the Britons were "operating in Iraqi waters" - a point that Iran contests.
The British move came as Iran rolled back on its promise to release the sole female British sailor among the captives, who were seized last week. The Iranian military chief, Gen. Ali Reza Afshar, said that because of the "wrong behavior" of the British government, "the release of a female British soldier has been suspended," the semiofficial Iranian news agency Mehr reported.
Iran's top negotiator, Ali Larijani, also hinted that the British crew members may be put on trial.
The standoff and broader tensions in the Gulf region helped fuel a spike in world oil prices.
The British statement was to be discussed later Thursday at a closed-door meeting of the Security Council.
The text circulated to the 14 other council members said: "Members of the Security Council deplore the continuing detention by the government of Iran of 15 (United Kingdom) naval personnel."
It added that the British crew was "operating in Iraqi waters as part of the Multinational Force-



Iraq under a mandate from the Security Council under resolution 1723 and at the request of the government of Iraq" and it called for their "immediate release."
A press statement is the weakest action the Security Council can take, but the statement must be approved by all council members. Diplomats said Britain was also weighing a stronger presidential statement, which unlike a press statement, is read at a formal Security Council meeting and becomes part of its official record.
The council diplomats said informal discussion of the proposed British statement indicated the issue of where the incident took place raised problems for some council members, including Russia. Some members also want to hear the Iranian side, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.
The British government said that its sailors and marines were seized Friday after completing a search of a civilian ship near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway, which forms the border between Iran and Iraq, under a mandate from the Security Council and at the request of Iraq. Iran says the British vessels were inside its territorial waters.
Prime Minister Tony Blair official spokesman dismissed a suggestion Wednesday by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki that Britain should resolve the crisis by admitting that its personnel had made a "mistake" and crossed into Iranian waters.
The British initially circulated a press statement, which is the weakest action that the
U.N. Security Council could take, but diplomats said they might be considering a stronger presidential statement, which unlike a press statement, is read at a formal council meeting and becomes part of its official record.
Mottaki had said Wednesday that sailor Faye Turney, 26, would be released within 48 hours. Britain said it was halting all discussion with Iran except negotiations to free the detained sailors, and expressed outrage over Iran's broadcast of images of the captured service members.
Larijani said on Iranian state radio that: "British leaders have miscalculated this issue."
If Britain follows through with its policies toward Iran, Larijani said "this case may face a legal path" — a clear reference to Iran's prosecuting the sailors in court.
Blair's official spokesman said Britain wanted to resolve the crisis quickly and without having a "confrontation over this."
"We are not seeking to put Iran in a corner. We are simply saying, 'Please release the personnel who should not have been seized in the first place,'" said the spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.
But in a briefing to reporters, the spokesman said British officials had been angered by Tehran's decision to show the captives on Iranian television.
"Nobody should be put in that position. It is an impossible position to be put in," he said. "It is wrong. It is wrong in terms of the usual conventions that cover this. It is wrong in terms of basic humanity."
Britain's ambassador to Tehran lodged an official complaint of Iran's decision to show the video, the Foreign Office said.
"Today the British ambassador in Tehran met with Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials to protest about the TV pictures of Leading Seaman Faye Turney," said a Foreign Office spokesman, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with department policy.
In the video that was broadcast Wednesday on Iran's Arab-language satellite channel, Turney said her group had "trespassed" in Iranian waters. The segment showed her wearing a black head scarf, sitting in a room before floral curtains and smoking a cigarette.
"Obviously we trespassed into their waters," Turney said. "They were very friendly and very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we've been arrested. There was no harm, no aggression."
Britain's Ministry of Defense released coordinates that it said proved the captured naval personnel were seized 1.7 nautical miles inside Iraqi waters.
Oil prices rose by more than $1 a barrel Wednesday to a six-month high as the
U.S. Navy completed its largest show of force in the Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
President Bush has discussed the 15 Britons with Blair, White House deputy press secretary Dana Perino said, and fully backs the British position.
___ Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Tariq Panja in London and Salah Nasrawi in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, contributed to this report.

I heard this on the news since last Friday and I didn't know the woman was involved
that's pretty bad situation right now,I hope they release these people soon as possible because if they don't
there is going to be a major war on there hands.

Yeah, when my father was in the Navy during after the Persian Gulf War one
and was like 10 months after the war was over and my dad went for nine months over in the Persian Gulf
over that area they were doing a survey mission cleaning out the left over remains such as bodies
and scanning for sea mines and my dad used to do electronic warfare for 12 years in the Navy in the radar room
and the only job he did back then was tracked missiles. Plus he has been to every war since 1982 back in the days.
Well my dad retired in the Navy in Mayport Florida
back in 1992 and right now he works for a telephone company
as an employee and they just merged a few months ago and
now he works at one the world's largest companies
in the world right now it used to be BellSouth now it's AT&T.
But I heard AT&T coming out alot of cool stuff for the next few months..

I know the British sailors and there British Royal Navy ship
I know they were in Iraqi waters
and I think Iran making a big fight in a argument to fuss over stuff that's what it's what's going down the way sounds like
and I feel sorry for the families out there and the love ones out there are in this current situation right now but something will come up soon as possible
but if they start executing them then we going have alot of trouble in the long run with these people, but they don't want to listen to no one the way sounds like
but I'll won't trust Iran anyway.
The only they who can save these people only God his own trust in his own self.
The news report the ways talk about the young woman is 26 years old that's pretty young and the way sounds like they want to release
her ASAP. I can understand what you are going through with the stuff over in the UK right now.

War with Iran is highly unlikely.

First we have a mess in Iraq going on now.

Second, who is going to give Bush right to go to war??? Congress?? Doubt that.


Third the british government will take this at a diplomatic approach and nothing else.

Fourth, Iran is trying to make a point. Whenever they fell they have they will then release the sailors
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I sold me soul for the second time
Cause the man he don't pay me.

There is shortly going to be an interview with one of the hostage/prisoners, where they are supposedly going to apologise and admit there were in Iranian waters...probably with a gun behind his back.

Thought that was against international law for governments to parade prisoners ??...but the didn't we do that to Saddam ??

Why should they be released?

If you sell drugs in Thailand or something as a British tourist, you also have to go to prision....that is more or less the same in my opinion.

I would not refer to soldiers as "personnel" - rather as killing machines.

YOU SHALL NOT MURDER.

What would you say if let's say armed soldiers with guns from Russia would suddenly walk around in Manchester ?

Do you think that would be legal? I am sure they would get arrested too.

Or less exaggerated: imagine there were armed Iranian ships at the British border....somewhere in the channel...a couple of miles off the coast from Southsea or Brighton....

In the face of the law, a soldier is also a "normal" person especially if the soldier is from another country and there is no war with that country.

There is a law against:

(a) carrying around bombs and guns etc..
(b) randomlny driving around the sea without any permission for your route

There is no war against Iran and it has the same rights and obligations like the UK - so I think it is fair to imagine the same with switched roles....the UK imprisioning Iranian people as they were walking around Brighton with machine guns...or the same on the sea instead of on the mainland.

Drugs were just an example of something illegal.

I think this is just a feable excuse - I don't think an army is stupid enough to believe in emergency calls of potential enemies.

You always need to be cautious and maybe check out the situation before going there with the whole ship. There are enough planes around that could fly there within seconds and see whats going on....the Royal Navy could have asked their friends from the USA.


And even if there is an emergency, you should think twice about breaking a law in order to help someone especially in such a situation. If they wanted to safe people's lifes they should disarm the US army instead of rescueing people from ships that have engine problems or whatever.

I also think it is ridiculous the female soldier is veiled - as if all females in Iraq were veiled......

I don't think they have broken a law though Toby.... at least not intentionally - as has been said, according to GPS, they were 1.7 miles within Iraqi waters and not 0.5 miles within Iran waters as that government have claimed.

Agreed on the caution bit though - with everything that's going on out there at the moment, better planning would have been prudent but hindsight is a wonderful thing.
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You know that look women get when they want sex? Me neither!

An Iranian minister today when being interviewed, admitted they were in the disputed zone..so its not the same as Russians walking around Manchester.

I suspect the Iranians know they have to let them go eventually.

Just reading and listening to the news, it is a lot of postering by Iran - they cant do much with the prisoners or hostages now that the world news knows about them.

I think that in the background there will be some talking and Iran will get a couple of things that they want and we'll get some soldiers back again.

Im not a law expert but I guess that if you are driving a boat into waters controlled by any country then you come under their laws (otherwise we would get ships selling duty free booze, within walking distance of the shore and the government could do nothing, for example). So if it against the law to drive about in a boat and be armed then I guess you get arrested?

Both sides are saying that they were in water controlled by different people and thats tricky to prove really, one bit of sea looks like another unlike the land where there are things to show where you are like fields and forests.
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I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill; my share of losing.
And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing.

To be honest I was just guessing and I have not followed any of the discussions on tv or the newspapers....only seen a headline and a picture.
So mabye I should just be quiet lol :-p