27 March 2007
There is "absolutely no justification" for Iran to hold the 15 sailors seized in the Persian Gulf last Friday, the Prime Minister said today.
Speaking in a television interview with GMTV earlier, he said that the British Government hopes that ongoing diplomatic efforts will secure their release.
But he added that the situation would "move into a different phase" if the personnel continued to be detained.
"… 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.
"In the end, it is a question really for the Iranian government as to whether they want to abide by international law or not."
Speaking today on a visit to Turkey, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett said that is in everyone’s interest for the matter to be resolved "speedily and peacefully".
Foreign Office minister Lord Triesman has met with the Iranian ambassador to discuss the situation.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman said yesterday that he was "utterly certain" that the British personnel were in Iraqi waters at the time they were detained.
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