Iran to free sailors as 'gift' to British people
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will free the 15 British sailors and marines detained in the Persian Gulf last month, ending a tense 13-day standoff between Tehran and London.
"On the occasion of the birthday of the great Prophet (Muhammad) … and for the occasion of the passing of Christ, I say the Islamic Republic government and the Iranian people — with all powers and legal right to put the soldiers on trial — forgave those 15," he said, referring to the Muslim Prophet's birthday on March 30 and the Easter season."
"This pardon is a gift to the British people," he said, adding that the British crew will be taken to the Tehran airport.
Even though he had every right to put them on trial, the 15 would be forgiven and released as "a gift to the British people," Ahmadinejad said.
Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said it welcomed the news of their release.
Criticizes Britain for sending woman
At one point in his lengthy news conference, Ahmadinejad awarded a medal of honour to the commander of the Iranian coast guard who intercepted the sailors and marines, praising the crew for defending the country.
Ahmadinejad said he was sorry that the sailors and marines had been arrested, and he criticized Britain for sending Faye Turney, one of the 15 detainees, into the Gulf, pointing out that she is a woman with a child.
"How can you justify seeing a mother away from her home, her children? Why don't they respect family values in the West?" he asked of the British government.
Ahmadinejad asked Blair not to put the sailors on trial for admitting they had crossed into Iranian waters. Some of the sailors were shown on video admitting they had entered Iranian waters.
The U.S. and Britain have said the Royal Navy crew was in the Iraqi part of the Shaat al Arab waterway — a border that has historically been disputed between Iraq and Iran.
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