Posted on 04/04/2007 8:58:55 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
TEHRAN, Iran - Fifteen British sailors and marines released by Iran arrived at Tehran's airport early Thursday and were expected to board a commercial flight to London, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene.
The 15, whose release from nearly two weeks in Iranian captivity was announced Wednesday by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, arrived in a convoy of sedans that drove directly to the presidential VIP section of the airport, the reporter said.
Update..
ap is waffling on the title..
British sailors arrive at Tehran airport
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070405/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iran_britain
TEHRAN, Iran - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defused a growing confrontation with Britain, announcing the surprise release of 15 captive British sailors Wednesday and then gleefully accepting the crew’s thanks and handshakes in what he called an Easter gift.
Hours later, the 15 Britons arrived at the VIP section of Tehran’s airport in a convoy of sedans and were expected to board a British Airways flight to London at 8 a.m. local time Thursday (12:30 a.m. EDT).
The convoy was escorted by several cars belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the elite force whose naval units seized the sailors on March 23 as they searched the Persian Gulf for smugglers.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair expressed “profound relief” over the peaceful end to the 13-day crisis. “Throughout we have taken a measured approach — firm but calm, not negotiating, but not confronting either,” Blair said in London, adding a message to the Iranian people that “we bear you no ill will.”
The announcement in Tehran was a breakthrough in a crisis that had escalated over nearly two weeks, raising oil prices and fears of military conflict in the volatile region. The move to release the sailors suggested that Iran’s hard-line leadership decided it had shown its strength but did not want to push the standoff too far.
Iran did not get the main thing it sought — a public apology for entering Iranian waters. Britain, which said its crew was in Iraqi waters when seized, insists it never offered a quid pro quo, either, instead relying on quiet diplomacy.
Syria, Iran’s close ally, said it played a role in winning the release. “Syria exercised a sort of quiet diplomacy to solve this problem and encourage dialogue between the two parties,” Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said in Damascus.
The announcement of the release came hours after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record) met with President Bashar Assad in Damascus, trying to show that a U.S. dialogue with Syria — rejected by the Bush administration — could bring benefits for the Middle East. The British sailors were not part of their talks, and it was not clear if the release was timed to coincide with her visit.
Several British newspapers credited Blair’s foreign policy adviser Nigel Sheinwald and Iranian chief negotiator Ali Larijani with laying the groundwork for an agreement during telephone contacts that began Tuesday night. Larijani had gone on British TV on Monday and signaled that Tehran was looking for a diplomatic solution.
British officials were told to pay close attention to Ahmadinejad’s press conference but were unsure the release would come until they heard his words, The Independent newspaper said.
Ahmadinejad timed the announcement so as to make a dramatic splash, springing it halfway through a two-hour news conference.
The president first gave a medal of honor to the commander of the Iranian coast guards who captured the Britons, and admonished London for sending a mother, Leading Seaman Faye Turney, on such a dangerous mission in the Persian Gulf.
He said the British government was “not brave enough” to admit the crew had been in Iranian waters when it was captured.
Ahmadinejad then declared that even though Iran had the right to put the Britons on trial, he had “pardoned” them to mark the March 30 birthday of the Prophet Muhammad and the coming Easter holiday.
“This pardon is a gift to the British people,” he said.
After the news conference, Iranian television showed a beaming Ahmadinejad on the steps of the presidential palace shaking hands with the Britons — some towering over him. The men were decked out in business suits and Turney wore an Islamic head scarf.
“Your people have been really kind to us, and we appreciate it very much,” one of the British men told Ahmadinejad in English. Another male service member said: “We are grateful for your forgiveness.”
Ahmadinejad responded in Farsi, “You are welcome.”
Three members of the crew were later interviewed on Iranian state-run television, apologizing for the alleged incursion into Iran’s waters and again thanking Ahmadinejad for their release.
“I can understand why you’re insulted by the intrusion into the waters,” said Lt. Felix Carman, shown seated on a couch.
“Thank you for letting us go and we apologize for our actions, but many thanks for having it in your hearts to let us go free,” Turney said.
The breakthrough caught the British government by surprise. On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett cautioned reporters not to expect a quick end to the standoff.
The U.S. cautiously welcomed Iran’s announcement, though Vice President Dick Cheney said “it was unfortunate that they were ever taken in the first place.”
With the timing unclear for release of the captives — President Bush and others have called them “hostages” — administration officials reacted positively but allowed Blair to do the lion’s share of the public talking.
During the standoff, Iran broadcast footage of Turney and some other crew members “confessing” they had entered Iranian waters. An infuriated Britain froze most bilateral contacts, prompting Tehran to roll back on a pledge to free Turney.
Wednesday’s announcement led some analysts to conclude that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, decided the crisis had gone on long enough at a time when Tehran faces mounting pressure over its nuclear program. A day after the British were seized, the U.N. Security Council imposed new sanctions on Iran for refusing to halt uranium enrichment.
During Ahmadinejad’s news conference, the hardline president said Britain had sent a letter to the Iranian Foreign Ministry pledging that entering Iranian waters “will not happen again.” Tehran had demanded an apology for the alleged entry into its waters.
Britain’s Foreign Office would not give details about the letter but said its position was clear that the detained crew had been in Iraqi waters.
Regardless of the territorial issue, the standoff showed that Tehran has ways to push back after the U.S. and Britain beefed up their military presence in the Persian Gulf this year.
The U.S. has accused Iran of sending weapons to Shiite militias in Iraq. That led to speculation that the Iranians seized the Britons in retaliation for the detention of five Iranians by U.S. forces in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil in January. Iran denied any connection.
Shortly before the announcement, Iranian state media reported that an Iranian envoy would be allowed to meet the five Iranians. A U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said American authorities were considering the request, although an international Red Cross team, including one Iranian, had visited the prisoners.
Another Iranian diplomat, separately seized two months ago by uniformed gunmen in Iraq, was released and returned Tuesday to Tehran. Iran accused the Americans of abducting him, a charge the U.S. denied.
What a sweet picture. The dictator met and laughed and joked with the hostages. Didn’t Idi Amin do the same thing in 1976?
ap has now gone to the
FReed Britons arrive at Tehran airport..
The Brits are now onboard the plane which is expected to take off within 20 minutes according to a Sky journalist who is on the plane.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair (L) and Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett emerge from 10 Downing Street in London. The 15 British sailors who have been held by Iran for nearly two weeks were to fly home Thursday, ending a two-week ordeal.(AFP/Chris Young)
Thanks!
Pop the corks,, family members back home were shown on the news earlier doing just that.
believe it when you see it.
Iran keeps the ship?
small vessels actually,, spoils of war.. albeit an undeclared one.
Gasoline prices are seen Wednesday, Apri 4, 2007, in San Francisco. Crude oil prices slipped to $64 a barrel Wednesday after Iran said it would release the 15 British sailors it has been holding captive, alleviating some fears about tensions escalating and prompting the country to block oil exports. But gasoline prices rose on a government report that U.S. gasoline inventories declined for the eighth straight week and that demand is still strong. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Where are their uniforms? Probably going to be used by iranians to kill our troops and allies in ambushes.
What ship?
Yeah. Let’s all bow down and kiss Ahmadinejad’s ass.
Check out the runt “ahmanutjob”
What is he, 5’1”?
Not to beat up on short people, but he is a runt....
short man syndrome, front and center.....
This is
Not
Breaking
News folks..
Go figure.
G’
Nite.
These people went through some crap,,look at their eyes..Military type of interogation was going on,,Where,What,Who and How,,.
This image from television shows the 15 Britons arriving at the VIP section of Tehran's airport Thursday morning April 5, 2007 in a convoy of sedans and were expected to board a British Airways flight to London. The convoy was escorted by several cars belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, the elite force whose naval units seized the sailors on March 23 as they searched the Persian Gulf for smugglers. (AP Photo/APTN)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (L) looks towards Iran's Defence Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar during a news conference in Tehran April 4, 2007. Ahmadinejad freed 15 British sailors and marines on Wednesday, offering a "gift" to Britain that ended a 13-day crisis which had rattled world financial markets. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN)
What are the gas taxes in SF? I filled up today in a suburb of Denver at $2.52 for regular unleaded. One advantage of living at 5,400 feet is high performance cars will run fine on regular. Fed and state taxes are 40.3 cents a gallon in Colorado.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.