April 04, 2007
Iran Says It Will Return British Sailors
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will "pardon" the sailors and return them home as a "gift" to the British people. How magnanimous of him. I guess he's used them all he can for his little PR stunt, and figures he'd better get while the going's good.
Ahmadinejad said Iran will never accept trespassing in its territorial waters.
"On behalf of the great Iranian people, I want to thank the Iranian coast guard who courageously defended and captured those who violated their territorial waters," he said.
"We are sorry that British troops remain in Iraq and their sailors are being arrested in Iran," Ahmadinejad said.
There is doubt that the sailors were even in Iranian waters, despite the fact that the sailors "confessed" to trespassing. But Ahmadinejad's not the kind of guy to let conflicting evidence to get in his way.
Ahmadinejad went on to criticize the British navy for deploying Lead Seaman Faye Turney overseas when she has a child at home, deploring the West's lack of "family values." I suppose Middle Eastern family values, where women are considered to be subhuman and children are used by terrorists in car bombings, are more to his taste.
I won't believe Ahmadinejad until those sailors have been handed over. He's not the kind of guy I would trust in a handshake deal. If he is true to his word in this instance, I'll be glad that the whole thing is over. Until, of course, the next time. I have no doubt there will be some kind of next time.
UPDATE: From yesterday, but still worth reading. John Hawkins discusses how this hostage situation has shown the worthlessness of European allies.
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Whats been lost in this is the release of the Iranian diplomat(?) taken by the Iraqi`s in December. He was released yesterday and there has been no talk so far of a trade.
Posted by: Mike at April 4, 2007 10:49 PM
