EU denounces arrest of UK embassy staff in Iran
The European Union on Sunday (28 June) said it would have a "strong and collective response" to any harassment of diplomats in Iran, in solidarity with the Britain, which saw eight of its embassy staff arrested last week.
"The harassment or intimidation of foreign and Iranian staff working at the EU embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response," said the Czech EU presidency in a statement following a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers in Corfu.
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British foreign secretary David Miliband expressed satisfaction at the reaction of his EU partners, in particular their "unanimous condemnation" of the actions by the Iranian authorities.
He denied that the nine locally-employed staff arrested on Saturday had played a "significant role" in clashes between security forces and demonstrators contesting the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"The idea that the British embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran is wholly without foundation."
Mr Miliband said that as of Sunday morning four of the nine staff had been released. The EU statement demanded all should immediately be set free.
Iranian intelligence minister Gholam Hossein Mohseini Ejehi said he had videotape proof that the embassy staffers mingled with demonstrators to encourage unrest.
Mr Ejehi told state television late Sunday that the detainees "were distinctly present at the scene of clashes" between opposition protesters and security forces.
He says Iran's judiciary, controlled by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, will decide what happens next.
Last week, as protests continued over the election, Iran expelled two British diplomats, prompting a tit-for-tat expulsion from Iran's London embassy.
Iran's foreign minister, Manouchehr Mottaki, has warned that Tehran is considering downgrading ties with Britain, after a senior cleric, Ahmed Khatami, lashed out at Britain on Friday in a 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. He also called for the execution of what he called the "rioters' leaders".
After having criticised Britain as the "most evil" country, Ayatollah Khamenei over the weekend repeated his accusations of alleged Western meddling in the continued street protests and denounced the "interfering statements" by foreign leaders. He ruled out a revision of the official result, which attributed 63 percent of the vote to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Opposition leader Mir Hossein Mousavi, who claims to have won the elections, has rejected a partial recount and said on his website he was not dropping his challenge despite pressure from the clergy. Mr Mousavi has the backing of former president Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, a powerful figure challenging Mr Khamenei.
"Obviously the regime is trying to preserve its position by very harsh repression," said Carl Bildt, Sweden's foreign minister, whose country takes over the EU's rotating presidency on 1 July. "But that cannot hide the fact that this is a weakened regime. It has lost legitimacy both internally and externally."
No sanctions in sight
However, Mr Bildt underlined that the ministers from the 27-nation bloc had not discussed any possible sanctions in their informal talks, and would not be drawn on what response the EU might have.
"We need to take the situation day by day and assess it. This is a dynamic and ongoing situation. I don't think you should tie yourself to a mast particularly," he said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana added: "We have to stress complete solidarity with the United Kingdom." But he also said the door was still open for a renewal of talks on Iran's nuclear programme.
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini re-iterated his call for visas from the 25-nation Schengen area to be issued to Iranian opposition figures who might need them, but no decisions were taken.
A co-ordination meeting of the Schengen area nations will be held soon, he said, without providing details. Rome's embassy in Tehran has issued visas to Iranian nationals, but the entry point is restricted to Italy.
Last week, European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pottering said he requested the Iranians to allow a parliamentary delegation led by himself to "observe the situation on the ground."