WORLD> Middle East
|
WORLD> Middle East
|
|
Iran detains local British embassy staff
(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-06-29 08:53 TEHERAN: Iranian authorities have detained several local employees of the British Embassy in Iran, a move that Britain's foreign secretary Sunday called "harassment and intimidation" and reflected a hardening of Teheran's stance toward the West. Iranian media said eight local embassy staff were detained for an alleged role in post-election protests, but gave no further details. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said "about nine" employees were detained on Saturday and that some had been released.
The detentions signaled a further toughening of Iran's dealings with the West, which has become increasingly vocal in its condemnation of a crackdown on opposition supporters. Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi has alleged massive fraud in the June 12 presidential election and says he is the rightful winner, not President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iran has accused the West of stoking unrest, singling out Britain and the US for alleged meddling. Last week, Iran expelled two British diplomats, and Britain responded in kind. Iran has also said it's considering downgrading diplomatic ties with Britain. Sunday, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported that the embassy staffers were detained for what was described as a "significant role" in post-election unrest.
Miliband, who is on the Greek island of Corfu for a foreign ministers' meeting, said Britain has lodged a protest with the Iranian authorities over the detentions. He described the step as "harassment and intimidation of a kind that is quite unacceptable." "The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Teheran. ... is wholly without foundation," he said. The foreign minister said it would be an important point of discussion with his EU colleagues. In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said any further harassment of British Embassy employees would be met with "a strong and united EU response." Iran's government has claimed that opposition supporters have been directed by the West. On Friday, a senior Iranian cleric, Ahmed Khatami, lashed out at Britain in a nationally televised sermon. "In this unrest, Britons have behaved very mischievously and it is fair to add the slogan of 'down with England' to the slogan of 'down with USA,'" he said. Colonial power Britain, a colonial power in the region with a long history in Iran, has been a prominent target. Britain and the US were behind the 1953 coup that toppled Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who nationalized Iran's oil industry. Britain had almost complete control over Iran's oil industry for decades. The British have also drawn fire because of the BBC's prominent role as a trusted broadcaster in Farsi inside Iran. This is a reversal from the way the state and publicly funded BBC was perceived in the leadup to the Iranian Islamic Revolution. At the time, the BBC was widely listened to because it extensively covered anti-Shah demonstrations and activities of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeinry rhetoric. The confrontation appears to be dashing hopes for a new dialogue, as initially envisioned by President Barack Obama when he took office. Obama wants to engage Iranian leaders in talks over the country's suspect nuclear program which the US and other Western countries worry is aimed at developing nuclear weapons. Iran defends its nuclear program as civilian in nature. Sunday, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the 27-nation bloc would "like very much" to restart nuclear talks with Teheran despite the rising tensions. Iran's top electoral body, the 12-member Guardian Council, has proposed recounting 10 percent of the votes. On Friday, the council offered to bring in six more political figures to oversee a partial recount, presumably to give the effort greater legitimacy in the eyes of the challengers. However, Mousavi reiterated his demand for nullification as "the most suitable solution to restore public confidence." He called for independent arbiters to settle the dispute. Another defeated candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, also expressed doubt that a fair review is possible. AP |
