Blair Furious As Second Navy Hostage 'Confesses' on Iranian TV

Mar 31, 07:38 AM

Current Headlines: By Gerri Peev political correspondent

CONDEMNATION of Iran grew last night after a second British hostage "confessed" to straying into Iranian waters, triggering calls from the European Union to release the 15 hostages immediately.

Ministers worked to isolate Iran internationally after Nathan Summers, 21, a Royal Navy sailor, was shown on Iranian TV. A voice was clearly audible in the background, prompting him on what to say.

Tony Blair, the Prime Minister, voiced his "disgust" with Iran over the TV appearance which showed the sailor appearing next to Leading Seaman Faye Turney, the sole woman among the hostages, and another British serviceman identified as Royal Marine Adam Sperry, 22.

Appearing against a pink floral curtain, both men wore camouflage fatigues with a label saying "Royal Navy" on their chests and a small Union flag stitched to their left sleeves. Ldg Smn Turney wore a blue jumpsuit and a black headscarf.

The three were among 15 British sailors and Royal Marines detained by naval units of the Revolutionary Guards on 23 March while patrolling near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab waterway for smugglers.

In the latest footage of the hostages shown on Iran's Arabic language station al-Alam, Mr Summers is shown saying: "I would like to apologise for entering your waters without any permission."

However there is a clear edit after the word "apologise", suggesting that the extract was spliced together from two separate clips.

In other clips, he said: "We trespassed without permission," before going on to say that their treatment by the Iranians had been "very friendly" and that he was "grateful" that no harm had come to them.

While the UN had only backed a watered-down version of a resolution calling for Tehran to immediately release the hostages, there was stronger support from the European Union.

The EU's statement demanded the unconditional release of all the hostages and threatened "appropriate action" if Tehran failed to act.

While the bloc supported the British version of events that its boats had been in Iraqi waters, the UN Security Council refused to endorse the claim.

Last night, Russia called on the UN to provide an independent assessment of where the boat was in the disputed part of the Persian Gulf at the time that the British were seized.

Tehran was in no mood to compromise, despite assurances from the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, suggesting to the Turkish prime minister that he would release Ldg Smn Turney.

At the weekly Friday prayers in Tehran, Hojjatoleslam Ahmad Khatami, a hardline cleric, told several thousand worshippers that the issue of the captured British sailors was "quite clear" - they had trespassed and some even admitted to doing so, state IRNA news agency reported.

"No country does ever let its sovereignty be violated," the cleric said. "Britain is an aggressor and Iran has confronted it."

The release of a third letter purportedly written by Ldg Smn Turney, complaining that she had been "sacrificed" to British and US policies, also suggested the Iranians might be hardening their stance.

The letter, addressed to "the British people", said that the detainees were receiving better treatment than Iraqis held by the coalition in Abu Ghraib and other prisons.

A clearly angry Mr Blair said the Iranians' "manipulation" of the British prisoners would "fool no-one".

He insisted that the crisis could only be resolved by the release of all 15 service personnel seized a week ago yesterday. Mr Blair said: "I really don't know why the Iranian regime keeps doing this.

" What the Iranians have to realise is that if they continue in this way, they will face increasing isolation."

THE THIRD 'TURNEY' LETTER ... 'I HAVE APOLOGISED FOR OUR ACTIONS'

THE THIRD letter purportedly from Leading Seaman Faye Turney was released last night by the Iranian government. It said:

"To British People

I am writing to you as a British service person who has been sent to Iraq, sacrificed due to the intervening policies of the Bush and Blair governments.

"We were arrested after entering Iranian waters by the Iranian forces.

"For this, I am deeply sorry. I understand that this has caused even more distrust for the people of Iran and the whole area in the British [sic].

"The Iranian people have treated me well and have proved themselves to be caring, compassionate, hospitable and friendly. For this I am thankful.

"I believe that for our countries to move forward we need to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and leave the people of Iraq to start re-building their lives.

"I have written a letter to the people of Iran apologising for our actions.

"Whereas we hear and see on the news the way prisoners were treated in Abo-Ghrayb [sic] and other Iraqi jails by British and American personnel, I have received total respect and faced no harm.

"It is now our time to ask our government to make a change to its oppressive behaviour towards other people."

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