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Britain

Britain migrant colonist briefs

2018-02-22

From Breitbart - immigration: Guy Verhofstadt: ‘Not Acceptable’ for UK to Limit Immigration After Brexit 19 February It is “not acceptable” for the UK to control immigration after Brexit and throughout the so-called “transition period”, the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinator has said. Soros Backed Pro-Mass Migration NGO Has Funds Frozen Amidst Sex Abuse, Fraud Claims 16 February The International Rescue Committee (IRC), an open borders-backing NGO fronted by former Foreign Secretary David Miliband, has been accused of “hushing up” allegations of more than 30 crimes. UK Asylum Process a Rushed ‘Lottery’ Based on ‘Unrealistic’ Targets Say Whistleblowers 12 February The asylum process in Britain is “a lottery” where decisions often rest on the personal views of decision makers, whistleblowers have claimed. Violent Somali Rapist Told Teen Victim She Couldn’t Be a Virgin ‘Because She’s White’ 10 February A Somali national has been jailed after he held a sharp piece of wood to a teenage girl’s throat as he raped her. 21 Arrested as UK Police Target Iraqi Migrant Smuggling Ring 6 February British police made 21 arrests Tuesday during a series of raids against a suspected people smuggling network that is accused of bringing hundreds of migrants across the English Channel. Officials say some 350 officers took part in BBC and Church Elites Attack British Christians for Wanting Lower Immigration 5 February The BBC has attacked Anglicans after a study revealed that nearly nine out of 10 want immigration levels “reduced”, claiming that Christianity demands support for open borders. Illegal Immigrant Who Turned up to Meet 12-Year-Old Girl for Sex Carrying Condom and Burger ‘Faces Deportation’ 31 January Pakistani illegal immigrant Al-Imran Ali was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to arranging to meet what he thought was a child for sex, but who turned out to be a member of the paedophile hunting group ‘Silent Justice’. Minorities Step over White Working-Class Pupils in England’s Failing Schools 27 January New Department for Education statistics show one in eight English schools are ‘failing’, with white working class pupils served especially badly. UK: Rough Sleeping Reaches Record Levels While ‘Refugees Welcome’ 26 January Rough sleeping has soared to record levels, with nearly 5,000 people estimated sleeping rough last year in England, while councils rolled out the red carpet for refugees. School Reverses Hijab Ban for Small Children After ‘Islamophobia’ Accusations 21 January A well-regarded primary school has been forced to drop a ban on small children fasting and wearing Islamic headscarves after accusations of “Islamophobia”. Lawyer Raj Chopra Says Woman Assaulted in Pool Would’ve ‘Forgotten About It in Two or Three Days’ 21 January A defence lawyer has caused outraged after suggesting a woman assaulted by his client Mohammed Akhtar would have “forgotten about it in two or three days”. Paedo Hunters Nab Pakistani Migrant Who ‘Didn’t Understand’ It Was Illegal to Have Sex with Minors 20 January A Pakistani migrant told a court he “didn’t understand” that it was illegal to have sex with a child after being caught in a sting operation by paedophile hunters. London: Muslim Enclave Votes to ‘Ban Trump’ 20 January A London borough – which has the highest percentage of Muslims in the UK – has voted to ban U.S. President Donald J. Trump for the area, declaring him a “bigot”. Appeaser Theresa Will Pay for France’s Border Security, Take More ‘Child’ Migrants 18 January Theresa May is set to give in to demands to pay France to secure its borders, and to take more ‘chid’ migrants from Calais. Scottish Leader: Using Mass Migration to Grow Population ‘Most Important National Challenge’ 16 January First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced the government is working to ‘change the narrative around migration to persuade Scots that the nation needs huge numbers of people from abroad. ‘You’re Not Welcome’ – Migrant Gangsters Tell British Police to Stay Away from ‘Kurdish Street’ 7 January Migrant gangsters offered police investigating “criminal behaviour on a commercial scale” bribes of up to £5,000 to stay away from their base of operations in Nottingham, telling them it was a “Kurdish street”.

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International-UN-NGOs

Soros Backed Pro-Mass Migration NGO Has Funds Frozen Amidst Sex Abuse, Fraud Claims

2018-02-17

[BREITBART] The International Rescue Committee (IRC), an open borders-backing NGO fronted by former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband has been accused of "hushing up" allegations of more than 30 crimes. UK government ministers froze funds to the NGO, which is a major partner of globalist billionaire George Soros ...either Ernst Stavro Blofeld or Auric Goldfinger come true... , "based on direct reporting of sexual harassment and fraud", it was reported this week. With nearly five and a half million pounds of taxpayer cash at stake, a team from the IRC was sent to look into claims made over the body’s behaviour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... Regarding Congo, don't forget the lithium that makes computers and cellphone batteries and the cobalt needed for modern magnets in motors used in electronics and electric cars. Those 2 chemicals plus chrome pretty much pay for the endless war. But according to The Sun, when an IRC team was sent to Africa to look into 24 cases where the scandal was first reported, it found a further 13 ethics breaches.

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Britain

'Implosion' in Muslim world fuelling refugee crisis: UK ex-foreign minister

2016-02-06

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Civil wars crippling many Muslim states and fuelling a global refugee crisis are driven in part by major struggles within Islam that cannot be ignored, former British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Wednesday. This "implosion" in many Muslim-majority countries has forced people from their homes in "unheard-of" numbers, said Miliband, now head of the New York-based humanitarian group International Rescue Committee. Miliband spoke at the international affairs think-tank Chatham House in London. He will take part in a major conference on Thursday in the British capital that aims to raise billions of dollars from donors to respond to the Syrian crisis. "More people are fleeing conflict, they're fleeing conflict significantly in Muslim-majority countries, so the implosion in the Islamic world, in Afghanistan, in the Middle East, is driving it," he said. Venturing into what he called "tricky territory", he added it would be dishonest not to report that his organization's work was increasingly focused on crises in Muslim-majority countries. "It seems to me there are big questions, big debates happening within Islam about the reconciliation of Islam to modernity, to democracy, of different segments within the Islamic tradition," he said. "To pretend that that's not part of the story wouldn't be right," he added, without elaborating. In several war-torn countries, bad boy Sunni literalists such as the Taliban and Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... are battling other Muslims who want the faith more adapted to the modern world or belong to a minority sect such as Shi'ism. Miliband added his analysis did not apply to the whole of the Muslim world, citing Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country, and Bangladesh as two examples of countries that did not fit into the narrative. "It's not right to pretend that all Muslim-majority countries are undergoing this implosion," he said. "But I think if you look at the story in South Asia over the last 30 years and the story in the Middle East over the last 20 years, then that's part of the story." Miliband said the Syrian crisis was a long-term issue, with large numbers of refugees likely to be living in Leb, Jordan, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and other countries for many years, and this called for a change in the scale and nature of the response. Miliband is correct in his diagnosis, just wrong in his prescription. Yes, the Muslim Arab world is collapsing. Syria, Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Egypt and Sudan are shitholes. Iraq and Tunisia are semi-shitholes. The Arabian peninsula has potential to be a mega shithole. There is clearly an implosion as the people come to recognize that their ideology and their leaders have failed. Miliband is wrong in how to fix this: you don't do so by importing all the problems to Europe in the name of 'compassion'. The shorter-term fix is to keep the refugees in their countries, and to do so by setting up safe spaces for them: camps that are protected by European powers and funded by European money where the refugees can go, protect their families, and catch their breath. The Euros are going to pay anyway whether the refugees are in Germany or Syria. The longer-term fix is to empower the refugees to take their countries away from the evil, crazy, religion-sputtering leaders who run them. That will take work but it's the right direction. Oh and Mr. Miliband: 'south Asia' has not failed. India is doing reasonably well. Perhaps you're speaking in code?

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Britain

Cameron Promises to Receive 'Thousands more' Syrian Refugees

2015-09-06

More details on this story from yesterday. [ALMANAR.LB] British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... announced on Friday that the United Kingdom will provide resettlement to "thousands more" Syrian refugees. Cameron's pledge came following calls from European counterparts, human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... and charity organizations and some leading figures such as Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and former Foreign Secretary David Miliband. "Britannia will act with its head and heart [to find long-term solutions to the crisis]," Cameron told the media in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The refugees are expected to come from UN camps on the border with Syria, and not from among refugees in Europe already. Earlier, the British premier had said that accepting more refugees into the UK was not the answer to the refugee crisis and claimed that the UK was doing its bit already. In response to Cameron's earlier remarks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks, said Thursday: "I am seriously concerned by the British prime minister's position that the UK should not provide protection to more refugees from the Middle East." Muiznieks said that at the moment, the UK was doing much less than other European countries, like Germany or Sweden, which gave refuge to thousands of Syrians. "Additional tragedies and shocking pictures could be avoided if politicians had the courage and determination to uphold human rights standards and common European values," the commissioner said. Meanwhile, ...back at the laboratory, Igor and Oleg were discussing what the quickest way might be to deal with the monster... British media coverage of the tragic deaths of two Syrian brothers -- three-year-old Aylan Kurdi and his five-year-old brother Galip -- caused public outcry. The British premier said that "he was moved" with the photographs of two young brothers who were washed up to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... coast after their attempt to cross to a Greek island failed tragically in the sea. A parliament petition asking the UK government to act to assist refugees is now signed by more than 350,000 people. Petitions signed by more than 100,000 people can be debated at the parliament. Germany was the largest recipient of new asylum claims in the EU in 2014, with an approximate 173,100 asylum applications. The UK received 31,300 new applications for asylum by the end of 2014. According to United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... , there are 1,938,999 registered refugees in Turkey alone as of August 25, 2015.

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Fifth Column

Britain Approves Chagos Islands reserve, Greenpeace Wants To Close Diego Garcia

2010-04-02

Britain gave the green light Thursday for the creation of the world's biggest marine reserve around the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean, provoking fury from Mauritius which claims the archipelago. The reserve will protect an area which experts say compares with Australia's Great Barrier Reef for its marine life, including coral reefs, yellow fin tuna, turtles and coconut crabs. It will include a "no-take" marine reserve where commercial fishing is to be banned, the Foreign Office said. "The MPA (Marine Protected Area) will cover some quarter of a million square miles (400,000 square kilometres) and its establishment will double the global coverage of the world's oceans under protection," said Foreign Secretary David Miliband. "Its creation is a major step forward for protecting the oceans." But Mauritius -- where Chagossians were sent after being taken off the islands to allow construction of a military base -- lashed out at the decision. "Perfidious Albion is dishonest," Mauritian Foreign Minister Arvind Boolell told AFP. "I am very angry. "As recently as last week, I asked the British government through its high commissioner in Mauritius John Murton to present the results of the British government's consultations to the bilateral committee on Chagos," he said. "The British government refused," he added. The Chagos Islands were ceded to Britain in 1814 and the archipelago was evacuated four decades ago. Its main island, Diego Garcia, is now populated by an estimated 1,700 US military personnel, 1,500 civilian contractors and around 50 British personnel. The base played a key role in the 1991 military operation against Iraq. Around 2,000 Chagossians were moved to Mauritius, which still claims the 55 islands. Mauritius formed part of the same administrative area as the Chagos Islands when it was under British rule. Most of the refugees are still campaigning to go back, although the British government has paid compensation. Which, legally, is supposed to have settled the issue. Unless the 'refugees' gave the money back ... Once the money's been spent, the memory doesn't long keep one warm. Last month, Olivier Bancoult, of the Chagos Refugees Group, accused Britain of "trying to create a protected area to prevent Chagossians from returning to their native islands". Miliband said in his statement that the creation of the reserve "will not change the UK's commitment to cede the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes". He said the decision on the marine reserve was taken following consultation and pledged to work with "all interested stakeholders" in making it work. The announcement was welcomed by environmental campaigners Greenpeace, who said it marked an "end to the unfair commercial exploitation of Chagossian seas". "These coral seas are a biodiversity hotspot in the Indian Ocean and unquestionably worthy of protection from destructive activities like fishing," Greenpeace campaigner Willie Mackenzie said. "The creation of this marine reserve is a first step towards securing a better and sustainable future for the Chagos Islands. "But this future must include securing justice for the Chagossian people and the closure and removal of the Diego Garcia military base."

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Britain

UK govt forced to publish U.S. torture allegations

2010-02-11

The British government lost a legal battle Wednesday to prevent the disclosure of secret U.S. intelligence material relating to allegations of "cruel and inhuman" treatment involving the CIA. London's Court of Appeal rejected a request by British Foreign Secretary David Miliband to prevent senior judges from disclosing claims that former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed had been shackled and subjected to sleep deprivation and threats while in U.S. custody. The office of Dennis Blair, U.S. director of national intelligence, issued a statement saying the British court's decision "to release classified information provided by the United States is not helpful, and we deeply regret it." "The protection of confidential information is essential to strong, effective security and intelligence cooperation among allies," the statement said. It indicated the ruling would create "challenges" but the two countries would "remain united in our efforts to fight against violent extremist groups." Miliband had argued that full disclosure of the redacted claims might make the United States less willing to share intelligence and thus prejudice Britain's national security. Recent events showed the importance of sharing intelligence, and the U.S. authorities were concerned about the release of such material, he told parliament, adding that he was working with U.S. officials to ensure bilateral ties were not damaged. Mohamed, an Ethiopian national and British resident, was arrested in Pakistan in April 2002. He says he was flown to Morocco on a CIA plane and held for 18 months, during which he says he was repeatedly tortured, including having his penis cut with a knife. Morocco has denied holding him. He was transferred to Afghanistan in 2004 and later moved to Guantanamo Bay, U.S. authorities have said. He was never charged and returned to Britain in February 2009. KEY PARAGRAPHS 'REDACTED' London's High Court ruled in 2008 that the British government must disclose all evidence held against Mohamed. The court excluded seven sensitive paragraphs supplied by U.S. intelligence services, and judges said later the United States had threatened to end intelligence cooperation if the evidence of alleged torture was released. But last October, two High Court judges ruled there was "an overwhelming public interest" in releasing the details, a decision the Appeal Court upheld Wednesday. "The treatment reported ... could be readily contended to be at the very least cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment by the United States authorities," the now public judgment said. Miliband said the Appeal Court would have upheld the principle that no country should disclose intelligence from another without its agreement -- had the substance of the paragraphs not already been put into the public domain by a U.S. court judgment in a separate case in December. "Without that disclosure, it is clear that the Court of Appeal would have overturned the Divisional Court's decision to publish the material," Miliband said in a statement. He told parliament Britain was opposed to torture. "The UK firmly opposes torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment. This is not just about legal obligations, it is also about our values as a nation ..." Human rights campaigners said the government had gone to great lengths to conceal torture and the Foreign Office had been concerned mainly with saving face. "These embarrassing paragraphs reveal nothing of use to terrorists but they do show something of the UK government's complicity with the most shameful part of the War on Terror," said Shami Chakrabati, director of rights campaign group Liberty. Looks like Chakrabati's idea of what is the most shameful part of the WoT diverges from reality.

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Afghanistan

Karzai To Offer Work and Pensions To Taliban

2010-01-21

[Quqnoos] President Karzai will unveil a plan to offer work, education, pensions and land to Taliban fighters who lay down their arms, according to reports President Hamid Karzai intends to launch the reconciliation and reintegration plan at the start of next week's London conference on Afghanistan, British newspaper, the Guardian, reports. The Afghan president has also pledged to hold a new peace conference in the spring, restating a standing invitation to insurgents ready to swear an oath to the country's constitution. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband promised the initiative would have international backing. US special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, in his recent visit to Kabul said his government also supports Karzai's reintegration plan. Afghan officials say the Kabul government has learned from earlier mistakes and promise that the plan will be far more comprehensive, offering in some cases, a totally new life to the Taliban, the report adds. The initiative, which was presented to senior western diplomats in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, will include jobs or land to farm, education for young fighters and pension for older insurgents who may have fought for much of the past three decades of conflict.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iranian MPs propose cutting ties with Britain

2010-01-14

[Al Arabiya Latest] Dozens of Iranian members of parliament have put forward a proposal to cut relations with Britain, which Tehran has often accused of interfering in its internal affairs, Iranian media reported on Wednesday. State radio said the initiative was backed by 40 MPs in the 290-seat assembly. The ISNA news agency put the number at 35. But it was unclear when, and if, the proposal would be debated and voted upon by the legislature. ISNA said the proposal was for a complete cut in "political" relations. Speaker Ali Larijani said it was the task of parliament's foreign policy and national security commission to handle the issue of relations with Britain, which is among Western powers accusing Iran of seeking to develop nuclear bombs. Late last month, Iran summoned the British ambassador in Tehran and Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki threatened Britain with a "slap in the mouth" if it did not stop interfering in Iranian affairs. That came after British Foreign Secretary David Miliband criticized Iranian authorities after eight people were killed in anti-government protests on Dec. 27. Iranian officials have repeatedly accused Western powers, including Britain, of fomenting street protests that erupted after the Islamic Republic's disputed election in June. "Considering the sinister actions of the British government towards the Iranian nation, it is the duty of the national security commission to decide about this country ... and I thank them for working on it," Larijani said, ISNA reported. The commission's chairman, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, said the proposal by the MPs had not been coordinated with the commission and called it a hasty move, ISNA reported. Even if the parliament voted to cut or reduce relations with Britain, such a move must be approved by a powerful legislative body, the Guardian Council. The United States cut relations with Tehran shortly after Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the U.S.-backed shah.

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India-Pakistan

Pakistan Offers Ammo for Foreign Troops in Afghanistan

2010-01-11

[Quqnoos] Pakistan has offered to supply ammunition to foreign troops fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistani Foreign Minister said on Saturday. He promises it will be cheaper than their current suppliers... although there may come to be questions about quality and reliability of delivery after payment is made. Much like the current situation with fuel deliveries. Pakistan can provide quality ammunition to British and other coalition troops in Afghanistan, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi told at a joint news conference with his British counterpart. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband is in an official tour to Pakistan, discussing bilateral issues with the Pakistani officials, including its role in the Western counter-terrorism campaign in the region. Miliband said peace and security in Afghanistan depends on security and stability in Pakistan. Security, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan depends on security, stability and prosperity in Pakistan, he said. He said the main objective of his visit, the sixth since he took over, was to take Pakistan into confidence about the London Conference on Afghanistan on January 28. Britain is going to host an international summit later month in London on aiding war-weary Afghanistan.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Larijani raps US, UK over Tehran protests

2009-12-30

Iran's parliament speaker condemns US and British officials for their reactions to disturbances in Tehran, saying that they orchestrated the "sacrilegious" events. Addressing the parliament on Tuesday, Ali Larijani said that Iran was not surprised about the stance that Washington and London had taken towards the anti-government protests, which were held during Sunday's Shia Muslim ceremonies of Ashura. According to Tehran chief prosecutor general Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, seven people were killed in the clashes that broke out between security forces and demonstrators in Tehran on Sunday. The Tehran police headquarters said that the police forces neither used violence nor fired a single bullet on Sunday. "US and British officials' disgraceful comments about the sacrilegious events of Ashura are so disgustingly vivid that they clarify where this movement stands when it comes to destroying religious and Revolutionary values," Ali Larijani said. "Israel's restlessness and its covert efforts to secure more Western aide for these sacrilegious movements has worsened the political situation. The anxiety of royal Wahhabi media has also caused an especially big scandal," he added. Larijani also singled out US President Barack Obama's defense of Sunday's anti-government protests and said that his reactions was a "gift from God" that would prevent any "naive interpretations" about a possible shift in US policy. "Washington's behavior during the past few months was nothing but an opportunist attempt to harm the national interest of Muslim Iranians. "That goes for its childish interference in our internal affairs and its duplicitous gestures on the nuclear issue," he said. After the Sunday protests, Obama condemned what he called "Iran's crackdown on protesters" and called for the release of the people who were detained. "We call for the immediate release of all who have been unjustly detained within Iran," Obama said on Monday in Hawaii, where he is on vacation. Obama said that the US will support protesters during the "extraordinary events." On Monday, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband also hailed what he called the "great courage" of those who took part in the illegal protests. Iran's Foreign Ministry has vowed to summon the British Ambassador to Tehran, Simon Lawrence Gass, in reaction to Miliband's remarks.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran to summon UK envoy over Miliband remarks

2009-12-29

[Iran Press TV Latest] The Iranian Foreign Ministry says it will summon the British ambassador to Tehran over London's reaction to the unrest in the capital on Sunday. Tehran will summon British Ambassador Simon Lawrence Gass to formally protest the "meddling" remarks made by British officials, Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast told Press TV on Monday. Mehman-Parast said British Foreign Secretary David Miliband's comments were hasty and undiplomatic. On Monday, Miliband hailed the "great courage" of opposition supporters who took part in illegal protests in Tehran one day earlier, during which several people were killed and public property was damaged. In a statement issued in London, Miliband condemned the crackdown on the protesters, saying it was "particularly disturbing" since it happened during the holiest event for Shia Muslims, Ashura, which is the anniversary of the martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (PBUH). At least eight people were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators that broke out during the protests, according to the Tehran police headquarters. The police also said that the police forces neither used violence nor fired a single bullet on Sunday. However, Miliband blamed the Islamic Republic for the deaths, saying they were "yet another reminder of how the Iranian regime deals with protest." Mehman-Parast said that the British have proven that they believe they will benefit from sowing discord among Iranians. The Foreign Ministry spokesman also advised British officials to rethink their policy toward Iran.

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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran releases five detained British sailors

2009-12-03

[Al Arabiya Latest] Five British yachtsmen detained in the Gulf last week by Revolutionary Guards were freed Wednesday after it was determined they had inadvertently strayed into Iran's territorial waters, Iranian media said. "The five Britons who had illegally entered with their vessel into the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran and who were arrested near the Siri Island have been freed hours ago, state radio quoted a statement by the Guards as saying. The elite force whose navy patrols the Gulf waters said the five sailors were interrogated and "after investigation it became evident that their illegal entry was a mistake." "So they were freed after taking the needed written commitments." The five had been held since Nov. 25 and on Tuesday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's chief of staff Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie warned they would be dealt with "firmly" if found guilty of illegal entry into Iranian waters. British Foreign Secretary David Miliband held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki late on Tuesday and called for formal consular access to the men and their speedy release. They were detained on Nov. 25. Relations between Britain and Iran have been dogged by tension in recent years over a range of issues, from Tehran's nuclear program to Iranian allegations of British involvement in post-election violence in June this year. Britain stressed the five men were civilians and played down parallels with an incident in March 2007 when Iran seized eight British Royal Navy sailors and seven marines off its coast. Miliband had also demanded consular access to them, saying they appeared to have "inadvertently" strayed into Iranian waters. He also said the incident has "nothing to do" with politics or the standoff over the Islamic republic's nuclear program, which the West suspects has military aims despite Tehran's denial.

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