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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Blair warning over captured sailors |
| 2007-03-25 |
| Well, not exactly a "warning", but... The seizure of 15 British Navy personnel by Iran is a "very serious situation", Tony Blair said as he publicly entered the diplomatic crisis for the first time. The Prime Minister appealed for a swift end to the "unjustified and wrong" detention of the sailors and Marines. He warned Tehran that it was a "fundamental" issue for the UK and insisted they had not strayed into Iranian waters. "I have not been commenting up to now because I want to get it resolved in as easy and diplomatic a way as possible, because it is the welfare of the people that have been taken by the Iranian government that is most important," he said. "But this is a very serious situation." Speaking from an EU meeting in Berlin, he said: "There is no doubt at all that these people were taken from a boat in Iraqi waters. It is simply not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters, and I hope the Iranian government understands how fundamental an issue this is for us. "We have certainly sent the message back to them very clearly indeed. They should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act, which is unjustified and wrong." Mr Blair said he hoped the issue could be resolved diplomatically in the next few days, adding: "But the quicker it is resolved, the easier it will be for all of us." |
| Posted by:Dave D. |
| #22 Against Iraq we had weapons of mass Destruction, we have been looking for an excuse to go to war against Iran, anyone thought about the fact we have probably kidnapped the 15 ourselves just as an excuse to go to war again? |
| Posted by: Special Brew 2007-03-25 19:24 |
| #21 About Clippy: just remember that it was a vast improvement over Microsoft Bob. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-03-25 22:52 |
| #20 #19: "The original was something the Microsoft people thought would be friendly and helpful" Tells me everything I need to know about the Microsoft |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-03-25 22:16 |
| #19 The original was something the Microsoft people thought would be friendly and helpful, Andy Hertzfeld. Rantburg's Clippy is a Moderator special. Cute, don't you think? |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-03-25 22:06 |
| #18 AH, the paperclip shown is a Microsoft personal assistant, largely known for annoying the living crap out of anyone with a pulse. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-03-25 21:55 |
| #17 Where does that paper clip come from? |
| Posted by: Andy Hertzfeld 2007-03-25 21:45 |
| #16 C'mon Tony, your call. Oh, nevermind, I forgot for a minute there that you were only holding half a pair; not much that that can beat, huh? |
| Posted by: USN, ret. 2007-03-25 20:53 |
| #15 That's the FIRST time I've ever not wanted to kill that goddam paper clip I've got special pliers with serrated jaws resting in a velvet-lined glass case just waiting for the day I finally lay hands on the little bastard. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-03-25 20:46 |
| #14 Re #13: ROFLMAO, Mods! That's the FIRST time I've ever not wanted to kill that goddam paper clip. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2007-03-25 20:40 |
| #13 |
| Posted by: Special Brew TROLL 2007-03-25 19:24 |
| #12 Gosh, I hope this doesn't escalate to the dreaded Strongly Worded Memo™. |
| Posted by: xbalanke 2007-03-25 15:55 |
| #11 In my opinion Blair needs a threat of what will happen if the sailors aren't returned, not this very serious situation crap. If I went into school and abducted 15 kiddies, I reckon the police would be phoned, special forces police the whole lot. What Blair is doing at the moment represents a letter home. - I hope people make sense of this. |
| Posted by: devilstoenail 2007-03-25 15:46 |
| #10 Cover your ears, I suspect the next stage will be to bang his spoon on his high chair! |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-03-25 15:32 |
| #9 I want to get it resolved in as easy and diplomatic a way as possible Code for: We lack sufficient courage to justly punish the most belligerant gang of conniving thugs to walk this earth despite having the necessary moral authority handed to us on a sterling silver platter. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-03-25 14:37 |
| #8 No threat of force. Empty voice. |
| Posted by: Icerigger 2007-03-25 13:51 |
| #7 actually, like the US, they were enforcing a UN-ordered/authorized intercept and inspection tasking. That said, we are prolly going to do that blockade for them |
| Posted by: Frank G 2007-03-25 13:32 |
| #6 All funny aside, if the UK does decide to act it will take 30-50 days to get their naval forces in place to enforce an impound and blockade. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-03-25 13:28 |
| #5 Yet another sad installment in the farce called "Trying to reason with the unreasonable..." Pathetic. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2007-03-25 12:58 |
| #4 Damn. They're sending in JoJo the Supernanny, aren't they? DJ is going to have to sit on the Naughty Bench for a *month*! |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2007-03-25 12:41 |
| #3 Oh Shit! Not that! |
| Posted by: Shipman 2007-03-25 11:42 |
| #2 Oh NO! Not the . . . . . |
| Posted by: Throque Gonque2829 2007-03-25 11:23 |
| #1 I think I know what Blair may be planning. |
| Posted by: Perfesser 2007-03-25 11:19 |
