Ahmadinejad adds more to the furore and the understated
Here's a recap:
In 2004, 8 British service personnel on behalf of her Majesty's Government were patrolling the waters of the Shatt al-Arab shores between Iran and Iraq. In doing so, they were approached and taken away by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces under the assumption of deliberately entering Iranian territorial waters "fully-armed with sophisticated weapons, radios and other instruments", according to the Iranians. In other words, going equipped to spy. Both UK and US naval officers insisted the servicemen were within Iraqi waters, yet a televised apology on Iranian TV later, the servicement were taken to the capital of Tehran and released into the custody of the British embassy. the boats and the equipment on board were not returned.
Three years on, the British frigate HMS Cornwall is on routine patrol in the same shores, this time the borders are clear between that of Iraq and that of Iran, and the British Navy sails within the Iraqi territory with the permission of the Iraqi government and with approval under the UN Security Council Resolutions 1723. One of the duties of the frigate is to stop and search any vessel it deems suspicious or on routine to prevent any smuggling of contraband or worse into Iraq. On March 23rd, 15 Navy personnel debark off the HMS Cornwall to stop and search a cargo ship in the Shatt al-Arab waters, and upon clearing the ship and moving to debark off it, they were met by six Iranian warships. The Iranians escorted the 15 personnel into Iranian territory and has since held them captive. No consular access has been given, their location has not been given, they are said, by the Iranian authorities, to be in good health and spirits and well treated, and they have been shown on Iranian TV eating together.
Three of the personnel, the only female Leading Seaman Faye Turney, Nathan Summers and Adam Sperry, have been shown on Iranian TV together expressing their apologies for 'entering Iranian waters'. Letters said to have been written by Turney, have expressed resentment in Britain's involvement in Iraq and were received by the British Government, namely the Foreign Office. Of late, a TV channel had stated talk from the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Gholamreza Ansari, in that a "legal process" had begun against the 15 British personnel, only for that to be later refuted by the ambassador, who was then quoted to have said the television channel had made a "translation mistake" and that he had not mentioned the prospect of a trial. The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, is stated to have made a speech within which he said:
"The British occupier forces did trespass our waters. Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery. But arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise. After the arrest of these people, the British government, instead of apologising and expressing regret over the action taken, started to claim that we are in their debt and shouted in different international councils. But this is not the legal and logical way for this issue."
The Iranian president strikes me as someone with an agenda, which may be quite clear to some but let me elaborate. I read him as someone who cares nothing for the West, most certainly not in the direction of peaceful talks with the Israelis, wishes for the Iranian people, Arab people to be equal to the West, perhaps more importantly that he is recognised as having granted that feat to them. I also read Mr Ahmedinejad as appeasing to others, seen to be doing that which is the belief of powerful allies within the Tehran regime. I certainly do not think he is alone in his conveyance of policies. I am concerned the Iranian president is to become something of a despot with huge fanatical notions that will make him powerful in the world. I have concerns that Mr Ahmedinejad is a major or indeed future worry for the peace and settlement of mankind on Earth.
Earlier this week, Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Style, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, gave a press conference in London presenting maps and GPS data that pinpointed the longitude and latitude positioning of the HMS Cornwall at the time it anchored to search the cargo ship in question. The frigate was reported to be 1.7 nautical miles within the Iraqi territory and without question was not in Iranian waters. This was then said to have been confirmed by Iraqi intelligence and was open to question by the Iranians if they wish. During negotiations prior to this conference, Sir Charles stated the Iranians had given one set of co-ordinates of the HMS Cornwall at the time it anchored, which the British replied actually placed the frigate within Iraqi waters. The Iranians then replied a few days later with a new "corrected" set of co-ordinates, which were found to be of a position within Iranian waters. Both sets of co-ordinates were refuted.
You need not be a rocket scientist to suspect the Iranians are playing about to upset talks over their nuclear enrichment programme that has caused diplomatic disruption particularly within the UN and the US. Secondly, five Iranian nationals were detained by US forces in January. The Iranians, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Guard, were taken in a raid in the city of Irbil, along with equipment the Americans say shows clear Iranian links to networks supplying Iraqi insurgents with technology and weapons. The US have denied the capture on 23rd March has a link to that of the Iranians in January.
However, we as the British are being fed like an ass while we await the Iranians' next move in this game of duel. Our personnel are captured, accused of trespass, parade, again on TV as caught naughty children, no British access has been allowed but Turkish diplomats are encouraging as go-betweens, GPS data shows the frigate had not sailed into Iranian waters and in reply the Iranians could not provide an accurate positon of the frigate from the outset and only returned with a second set of co-ordinates that suspiciously collaborates their version when the first set they supplied found in favour of the British. If you are in court providing exhibits as evidence, only to then change them later on for another because the initial exhibits would likely fall in favour of the other legal counsel, the judge would kick the case out for lack of evidence and probably have to referred to your Inn for being the Bar into disrepute.
The Iranians are playing out a game as and when it suits them, making a farce of diplomatic relations that will in turn see them as an isloated dictatorship. Seeing who I assume were Iranian nationals outside the British embassy protesting for the 15 personnel to be executed just made for more scare propaganda that intially emerged from the Muslim protests in London over the Danish cartoon of the prophet Mohammed. Calling for the p15 personnel to be executed is clearly extreme, as extreme as the dictatorship within the Tehran political regime. How long do they believe they can drag this issue for until they are turned against and made to suffer global condemnation.
In 2004, 8 British service personnel on behalf of her Majesty's Government were patrolling the waters of the Shatt al-Arab shores between Iran and Iraq. In doing so, they were approached and taken away by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces under the assumption of deliberately entering Iranian territorial waters "fully-armed with sophisticated weapons, radios and other instruments", according to the Iranians. In other words, going equipped to spy. Both UK and US naval officers insisted the servicemen were within Iraqi waters, yet a televised apology on Iranian TV later, the servicement were taken to the capital of Tehran and released into the custody of the British embassy. the boats and the equipment on board were not returned.
Three years on, the British frigate HMS Cornwall is on routine patrol in the same shores, this time the borders are clear between that of Iraq and that of Iran, and the British Navy sails within the Iraqi territory with the permission of the Iraqi government and with approval under the UN Security Council Resolutions 1723. One of the duties of the frigate is to stop and search any vessel it deems suspicious or on routine to prevent any smuggling of contraband or worse into Iraq. On March 23rd, 15 Navy personnel debark off the HMS Cornwall to stop and search a cargo ship in the Shatt al-Arab waters, and upon clearing the ship and moving to debark off it, they were met by six Iranian warships. The Iranians escorted the 15 personnel into Iranian territory and has since held them captive. No consular access has been given, their location has not been given, they are said, by the Iranian authorities, to be in good health and spirits and well treated, and they have been shown on Iranian TV eating together.
Three of the personnel, the only female Leading Seaman Faye Turney, Nathan Summers and Adam Sperry, have been shown on Iranian TV together expressing their apologies for 'entering Iranian waters'. Letters said to have been written by Turney, have expressed resentment in Britain's involvement in Iraq and were received by the British Government, namely the Foreign Office. Of late, a TV channel had stated talk from the Iranian ambassador to Moscow, Gholamreza Ansari, in that a "legal process" had begun against the 15 British personnel, only for that to be later refuted by the ambassador, who was then quoted to have said the television channel had made a "translation mistake" and that he had not mentioned the prospect of a trial. The Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, is stated to have made a speech within which he said:
"The British occupier forces did trespass our waters. Our border guards detained them with skill and bravery. But arrogant powers, because of their arrogant and selfish spirit, are claiming otherwise. After the arrest of these people, the British government, instead of apologising and expressing regret over the action taken, started to claim that we are in their debt and shouted in different international councils. But this is not the legal and logical way for this issue."
The Iranian president strikes me as someone with an agenda, which may be quite clear to some but let me elaborate. I read him as someone who cares nothing for the West, most certainly not in the direction of peaceful talks with the Israelis, wishes for the Iranian people, Arab people to be equal to the West, perhaps more importantly that he is recognised as having granted that feat to them. I also read Mr Ahmedinejad as appeasing to others, seen to be doing that which is the belief of powerful allies within the Tehran regime. I certainly do not think he is alone in his conveyance of policies. I am concerned the Iranian president is to become something of a despot with huge fanatical notions that will make him powerful in the world. I have concerns that Mr Ahmedinejad is a major or indeed future worry for the peace and settlement of mankind on Earth.
Earlier this week, Royal Navy Vice-Admiral Sir Charles Style, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, gave a press conference in London presenting maps and GPS data that pinpointed the longitude and latitude positioning of the HMS Cornwall at the time it anchored to search the cargo ship in question. The frigate was reported to be 1.7 nautical miles within the Iraqi territory and without question was not in Iranian waters. This was then said to have been confirmed by Iraqi intelligence and was open to question by the Iranians if they wish. During negotiations prior to this conference, Sir Charles stated the Iranians had given one set of co-ordinates of the HMS Cornwall at the time it anchored, which the British replied actually placed the frigate within Iraqi waters. The Iranians then replied a few days later with a new "corrected" set of co-ordinates, which were found to be of a position within Iranian waters. Both sets of co-ordinates were refuted.
You need not be a rocket scientist to suspect the Iranians are playing about to upset talks over their nuclear enrichment programme that has caused diplomatic disruption particularly within the UN and the US. Secondly, five Iranian nationals were detained by US forces in January. The Iranians, believed to be members of the Revolutionary Guard, were taken in a raid in the city of Irbil, along with equipment the Americans say shows clear Iranian links to networks supplying Iraqi insurgents with technology and weapons. The US have denied the capture on 23rd March has a link to that of the Iranians in January.
However, we as the British are being fed like an ass while we await the Iranians' next move in this game of duel. Our personnel are captured, accused of trespass, parade, again on TV as caught naughty children, no British access has been allowed but Turkish diplomats are encouraging as go-betweens, GPS data shows the frigate had not sailed into Iranian waters and in reply the Iranians could not provide an accurate positon of the frigate from the outset and only returned with a second set of co-ordinates that suspiciously collaborates their version when the first set they supplied found in favour of the British. If you are in court providing exhibits as evidence, only to then change them later on for another because the initial exhibits would likely fall in favour of the other legal counsel, the judge would kick the case out for lack of evidence and probably have to referred to your Inn for being the Bar into disrepute.
The Iranians are playing out a game as and when it suits them, making a farce of diplomatic relations that will in turn see them as an isloated dictatorship. Seeing who I assume were Iranian nationals outside the British embassy protesting for the 15 personnel to be executed just made for more scare propaganda that intially emerged from the Muslim protests in London over the Danish cartoon of the prophet Mohammed. Calling for the p15 personnel to be executed is clearly extreme, as extreme as the dictatorship within the Tehran political regime. How long do they believe they can drag this issue for until they are turned against and made to suffer global condemnation.
posted by RedsMan at 3/31/2007 10:50:00 PM
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