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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Iran frees British yachtsmen |
| 2009-12-02 |
| [AFP] Five British yachtsmen joyfully decked their vessel with UAE flags as they reached Dubai on Wednesday after Iran accepted they had strayed accidentally into the country's waters and released them. Wearing white shirts with "crew" on the back, the men were all smiles as they came ashore, shaking hands and embracing waiting friends. "We are fine ... It is a great relief... Everybody is feeling great to have this all behind us," one of the men, David Bloomer, told Sky News by telephone. "We were treated very well. We are all extremely happy to be free. They towed us out to international waters, we dropped the sails and here we are," according to an audio recording broadcast by the television station. Iran's Revolutionary Guards, whose naval forces patrol Gulf waters, said the men had been interrogated and, "after investigation, it became evident that their illegal entry was a mistake." "So they were freed after taking the needed written commitments." The five had been held since November 25 when they strayed into Iranian waters as they headed from Bahrain to Dubai for a race. The yacht, "The Kingdom of Bahrain," was stopped on November 25. Andrew Pindar, chairman of the Sail Bahrain team, which owns the yacht, said the vessel might have entered Iranian waters due to a damaged propeller. It was believed to have been intercepted near the Iranian-controlled island of Abu Musa, whose ownership is disputed by Iran and the United Arab Emirates, a Bahraini interior ministry source told AFP. |
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