European Union foreign ministers Friday mandated the bloc's chief diplomat Javier Solana to work for the urgent and unconditional release of 15 British naval personnel captured last week by Iran. Defying calls by Tehran that the 27-nation bloc stay out of the dispute, EU ministers meeting in Bremen, Germany, issued a strong statement deploring the continued arrest of the British citizens. The statement said there was 'unconditional support' from the EU for Britain in its standoff with Iran and warned of 'appropriate' EU action against Iran if the sailors were not released 'in the near future.
Solana refused to give details of possible EU retaliatory moves against Iran but warned that the row over the sailors was 'complicating' already difficult nuclear diplomacy with Tehran. The chief EU diplomat insisted that he wanted the 'unconditional and immediate liberation' of the navy personnel. Iranian arguments that this was a bilateral dispute with Britain were not acceptable, he said, adding: 'They have to understand that when something happens to EU citizens, the EU acts in solidarity.' |