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Iran says 5 British embassy staff freed
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-30 07:55 TEHERAN: Iran said yesterday five of the nine detained local staff at the British embassy in Teheran had been released while the other four were being held for questioning, state television reported. Iranian media said on Sunday several local embassy staff had been held on accusations of involvement in the street protests that rocked Iran after a disputed June 12 presidential election. "Out of nine people, five of them have been released and the rest are being interrogated," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hassan Qashqavi told a news conference in comments translated by Iran's English-language Press TV. On Sunday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband demanded the release of all the staff held and said his European Union colleagues had agreed to a "strong, collective response" to any "harassment and intimidation" against EU missions. In London yesterday, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's spokesman said "four locally engaged staff from the British embassy" were still being held by the Iranian authorities. "We are deeply concerned at their arrest and their continued detention. These arrests are completely unacceptable and unjustifiable," the spokesman told reporters. Qashqavi said Miliband and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had spoken on the phone on Sunday evening when Miliband stressed Britain's intention was not to interfere in Iran's internal affairs. Iran's Intelligence Minister Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei said on Sunday the British embassy had played a role in the unrest following this month's election, including sending people among the protesters telling them what to do and what to chant. Ahmadinejad wants probe Ahmadinejad has called for a judicial probe into the "suspicious" death of a young Iranian woman who has become an icon of opposition protests against the election. Ahmadinejad sent a letter to judiciary chief Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi-Shahroudi requesting a serious investigation to help identify "the elements" behind this month's killing of Neda Agha-Soltan, the official IRNA news agency said. He accused foreign media of using the case for propaganda purposes. He also suggested that the opposition and Iran's enemies abroad aimed to misuse it "for their own political aims and also to distort the pure and clean image of the Islamic Republic in the world." His letter added: "I request you to order the judicial system to seriously follow up the murder case ... and identify elements behind the case and inform the people of the result." Neda, a 26-year-old music student, was shot on June 20, when supporters of Mousavi clashed with riot police and Basij militiamen in Teheran. Footage of her death has been watched by thousands on the Internet. Iranian state television has said Neda was not shot by a bullet used by Iranian security forces. It said filming of the scene, and its swift broadcast to foreign media, suggested the incident was planned. Last week, Britain's The Times newspaper identified one person captured on Internet videos helping Neda as a doctor who has since fled Iran. It quoted the man, 38-year-old Dr. Arash Hejazi, as saying she was killed by a government militiaman. Talks still possible: US Despite questions about the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad's re-election and his belligerent anti-American rhetoric, the White House remains open to discussions with Iran over its nuclear ambitions. "It's in the United States' national interest to make sure that we have employed all elements at our disposal, including diplomacy, to prevent Iran from achieving that nuclear capacity," Susan Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said on Sunday. The US has not had diplomatic relations with Teheran since the aftermath of the Iranian revolution in 1979. Ahmadinejad has said he would make the US regret its criticism of the post-election crackdown and said the "mask has been removed" from President Barack Obama's efforts to improve relations. The legitimacy of the government is not the critical issue for the US goal of preventing Iran from developing a nuclear capability, Rice said. White House officials pointed to Obama's remarks last week, urging engagement. "My expectation would be ... that you're going to continue to see some multilateral discussions with Iran," Obama said on Friday. Officials in Washington said they want Iranian officials at the negotiating table - which, they say, was not destroyed during the post-election demonstrations in Iran. Reuters - AP (China Daily 06/30/2009 page12) |
