Ali Larijani
צילום: רויטרס
Iran, Britain signal ways out of dispute over 15 captured soldiers
Eleven days after British sailors were abducted under claims of trespassing in Iranian waters, both parties express desire to end crisis through diplomatic means
Iran and Britain signaled possible ways out of the standoff over 15 detained British soldiers Monday, with Tehran saying it wants to resolve the crisis through diplomacy and Britain expressing willingness to discuss ways to avoid future boundary confusion in the Persian Gulf.
The somewhat conciliatory tones from both capitals raised hopes the 11-day standoff might be solved soon. But it remained unclear how long the crisis might drag on.
Optimistic signs have emerged before, only to be followed by a hardening of positions and tough rhetoric.
Iran's chief international negotiator Ali Larijani said Monday that his country wants to resolve the crisis through diplomacy, and there was no need to put the crew on trial.
Larijani said Iran's priority "is to solve the problem through proper diplomatic channels."
"We are not interested in letting this issue get further complicated," he told Britain's Channel 4 television news.
The British government responded late Monday saying it shared the desire to make early progress.
"There remain some differences between us, but we can confirm we share his preference for early bilateral discussions to find a diplomatic solution to this problem," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said, speaking on the government's customary condition of anonymity.
Earlier Monday, an Iranian state-run television station said all 15 British sailors and marines had confessed to illegally entering Iranian waters.
However, Iranian state-run radio said the confessions would not be broadcast because of what it called "positive changes" in Britain's negotiating stance. The radio did not elaborate on the changes.
But in London, a British official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Prime Minister Tony Blair's government had agreed to consider ways to avoid such situations in the future.
The official insisted that Britain was not negotiating with the Iranians and still wanted the captives freed unconditionally.
The Britons were detained March 23 by naval units of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards while patrolling for smugglers near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, a waterway that has long been a disputed dividing line between Iraq and Iran.
