Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They
AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e
BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German
Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who
By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an
My Profile
Top News
Reuters top ten news stories delivered to your inbox each day.
Subscribe
You are here:
Home
>
News
>
International
>
Article
Home
Business & Finance
News
U.S.
Politics
International
Technology
Entertainment
Sports
Lifestyle
Oddly Enough
Health
Science
Special Coverage
Video
Pictures
Your View
The Great Debate
Blogs
Weather
Reader Feedback
Do More With Reuters
RSS
Widgets
Mobile
Podcasts
Newsletters
Your View
Make Reuters My Homepage
Partner Services
CareerBuilder
Affiliate Network
Professional Products
Support (Customer Zone)
Reuters Media
Financial Products
About Thomson Reuters
Iranian cleric says UK embassy staff face trial
Fri Jul 3, 2009 10:24am EDT
Email | Print |
Share
| Reprints | Single Page
[-]
Text
[+]
By Hashem Kalantari
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A powerful Iranian cleric warned on Friday that detained British embassy staff would face trial for their alleged role in post-election unrest, and EU countries summoned Iranian envoys to protest against the detentions.
In London, Britain's Foreign Office said it was "very concerned" about Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati's statement that the local employees could be tried in connection with demonstrations against last month's disputed presidential vote.
"In these developments their embassy here maintained a presence ... Individuals were arrested and inevitably they will be tried as they have (made) confessions," Jannati told Friday prayer worshippers.
Jannati is a conservative who heads the Guardian Council, a powerful 12-member constitutional watchdog. There was no immediate comment from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
A European Union official in Brussels said members of the 27-member bloc summoned Iranian ambassadors to protest against the detention of the Iranian staff from Britain's mission.
He said EU states agreed a gradual approach toward Tehran that could in future include visa bans and withdrawal of ambassadors from Iran, depending on how the situation evolved.
"The first immediate action is to convey a strong message of protest against the detention of British embassy local staff and to demand their immediate release," the official said.
Further steps would also be determined by the outcome of the meeting of the Group of Eight major industrialized powers in Italy next week, he said.
Iran said earlier this week that nine Iranian staff at the British embassy were detained for involvement in the mass street protests that erupted after the June 12 election won by hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Most have been released, but British officials say two embassy employees remain in detention. Jannati did not say how many of the staff could face trial.
Britain has denied Iranian accusations that embassy staff were involved in instigating opposition protests after the vote, which defeated presidential candidate Mirhossein Mousavi says was rigged in the incumbent's favor.
"VELVET REVOLUTION"
The European Union has pledged a strong, collective response to any Iranian harassment of staff at European embassies.
Britain and Iran have already expelled two of each other's diplomats since the election, which stirred Iran's most striking display of internal dissent since the 1979 Islamic revolution and strained ties with the West.
In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We are very concerned by these reports and are investigating." Continued...
View article on single page
Share:
Del.icio.us
Digg
Mixx
Yahoo!
Facebook
LinkedIn
Next Article:
Teck to sell 17 percent stake to China for C$1.7 billion
ALSO ON REUTERS
Video
Video: Michael Jackson's last video
Bluetooth "Big Brother" to track festival-goers
Commentary: Can Iraq cope without U.S. troops?
More International News
Honduras to meet OAS but tells Zelaya "don't come"
| Video
U.S. drone strike kills 10 in Pakistan: officials
British troops expand major Afghan operation
| Video
Israeli sub sails Suez, signaling reach to Iran
Demjanjuk pronounced fit to stand trial in Germany
More International News...
Related News
EU summons Iranian envoys over UK embassy detentions
10:24am EDT
UK "very concerned" by trial threat to Tehran staff
9:56am EDT
Editor's Choice
Slideshow
A selection of our best photos from the past 24 hours. Slideshow
Most Popular on Reuters
Articles
Video
Israeli sub sails Suez, signaling reach to Iran
U.S. regulators close seven banks
Air New Zealand staff bare all to get flyers' attention
U.S. parents think twice about sending kids to camp
Airline crew bares all to get flyers' attention
Hope for California budget deal as IOUs planned | Video
Potter is back: box office big bucks assured
North Korea fires fourth short-range missile: report
UPDATE 1-Arianespace launches "largest commercial satellite"
Obama not fully informed on Russia: Putin spokesman
Most Popular Articles RSS Feed
Video
Michael Jackson's last video
After the withdrawal in Iraq
Jackson rehearsal video released
Operation Strike of the Sword
California's state of emergency
Jackson's brother
Afghan blast kills senior UK officer
Obama warns of more job losses
Vanishing jobs
Madoff penthouse seized
Most Popular Videos RSS Feed
We want to hear from you
Join the Reuters Consumer Insight Panel and help us get to know you better
Please take a moment to complete our survey
Reuters.com:
Help and Contact Us |
Advertise With Us |
Mobile |
Newsletters |
RSS |
Labs |
Archive |
Site Index |
Video Index
Thomson Reuters Corporate:
Copyright |
Disclaimer |
Privacy |
Professional Products |
Professional Products Support |
About Thomson Reuters |
Careers
International Editions:
Africa |
Arabic |
Argentina |
Brazil |
Canada |
China |
France |
Germany |
India |
Italy |
Japan |
Latin America |
Mexico |
Russia |
Spain |
United Kingdom |
United States
Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
NYSE and AMEX quotes delayed by at least 20 minutes. Nasdaq delayed by at least 15 minutes. For a complete list of exchanges and delays, please click here.