25 March 2007
Tony Blair has called the seizure of British sailors by Iran "unjustified and wrong," and rejects the claim that they strayed into Iranian waters.
Speaking to journalists in Berlin, the Prime Minister said he hoped the Iranian Government understood the "fundamental" nature of the issue.
"There is no doubt at all that these people were taken from a boat in Iraqi waters.
"It is simply not true that they went into Iranian territorial waters, and I hope the Iranian government understands how fundamental an issue this is for us.
"We have certainly sent the message back to them very clearly indeed. They should not be under any doubt at all about how seriously we regard this act, which is unjustified and wrong."
Mr Blair hopes the situation can be resolved over the next few days, "but the quicker it is resolved, the easier it will be for all of us".
Iran detained 15 British Navy personnel in the Arabian Gulf on Friday. Eight marines and sailors were detained by Iran in a similar incident in 2004.
Mr Blair also commented on the situation in Dafur, calling it ""intolerable".
"Over 200,000 people have died. There are some 2 million people displaced, 4 million people on food aid.
"The brutality and the violence continues. The actions of the Sudanese government are completely unacceptable."
The Prime Minister called for a new United Nations resolution and more sanctions. He added that the possibility of a "no-fly" zone in Sudan should be kept open.
"… above all else we need to make clear both in the UN, the European Union and the African Union that the continuation of what is happening in Darfur is completely and totally unacceptable to the international community.
"And this is a test for us as a community, but it is also a test for the United Nations."
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