- LONDON, (IRNA) -- Former
British Ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray Monday supported Iran's
decision to arrest 15 UK marines in the Persian Gulf last week.
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- "In international law the Iranian government were
not out of order in detaining foreign military personnel in waters to which
they have a legitimate claim," Murray said, who was also a previous
head of Foreign Office's maritime section, carrying out negotiations on
the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
-
- "For the Royal Navy, to be interdicting shipping
within the twelve mile limit of territorial seas in a region they know
full well is subject to maritime boundary dispute, is unnecessarily provocative,"
he said.
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- Murray - Detention Of British Marines legitimate
- 3-27-7
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- A former British diplomat says it is Iran's legal right
to protect its sovereignty and the detained Britons should not have entered
Iranian waters.
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- The UK's former ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray,
told the Daily Mirror on Monday, "In international law the Iranian
government were not out of order in detaining foreign military personnel
in waters to which they have a legitimate claim."
-
- For the Royal Navy to be interdicting shipping within
the twelve mile limit of territorial seas, in a region they know full well
is subject to a maritime boundary dispute, is unnecessarily provocative,
he added.
-
- Murray noted that, "This is especially true as apparently
they were not looking for weapons but for smuggled vehicles attempting
to evade car duty. What has the evasion of Iranian or Iraqi taxes got to
do with the Royal Navy? The ridiculous illogic of the Blair mess gets us
further into trouble."
-
- Murray then requested "the Iranian authorities"
to "now hand the men back immediately," arguing that "Plainly
they were not engaged in piracy or in hostilities against Iran."
-
- He said the Iranians well demonstrated the ability to
exercise effective sovereignty over their waters.
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- AMM/PC/DB
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