EU Mass Pullout Threat

[maven]

Why does Obama look increasingly weak? It is the UK and the EU which looks like the new George W. Bush!

EU threatens mass pullout of ambassadors from Tehran

Ian Black,
Guardian Newspaper.
Monday 29 June 2009

European Union members are threatening the collective withdrawal of their ambassadors from Iran to secure the release of the British embassy employees being held by the authorities.

EU diplomats said tonight all the envoys could be recalled "temporarily" in solidarity with staff from the British mission in Tehran who have been accused – entirely falsely, UK officials insist – of involvement in protests over the "stolen" presidential election.

Five of the nine Iranians, who were arrested on Saturday, were freed today, but four others, understood to be the most senior, were still being questioned. None of them have been named.

As the row with Britain continued, Iran's guardian council, the country's top legislative body, confirmed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's victory in the disputed poll after a partial recount, finally dashing hopes of a different outcome.

Gordon Brown underlined concern over the embassy incident when he called it unacceptable and unjustifiable that the employees were being held. The prime minister was speaking in London alongside the European commission president, José Manuel Barroso, who expressed full solidarity with the UK.

Yesterday, EU foreign ministers warned Iran that any "harassment or intimidation" of embassy staff would be met with a "strong and collective" response. Most of the 27 EU member states have their own ambassadors in Tehran.

Continued:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jun/29/iran-diplomats-british-embassy-staff

[Mediocrates]

But they won't. They wouldn't dare. It's just noise.

[maven]

But they won't. They wouldn't dare. It's just noise.Mind you I had not noticed the words "temporarily" in the text until a minute ago.
And I had also forgotten that the France and Germany are in the EU.
Remember them? Those great allies who stood shoulder to shoulder with the US
in Iraq....or did they? Obama seems to think they did, odd because I felt like
nuking them at the time, maybe I just missread the situation?

France and Germany turn down business for some moral idea? turn down
constructing Saddams bunkers, or dare I even suggest Hizbollahs or
(whisper) the Iranian Republican Guards bunkers?
perish the thought!

But at least :cool:bama could get his dog to bark? Is that a lot to ask?

.

[Mediocrates]

Please note that the British embassy personnel detained by Iran are in fact Iranians.

[maven]

Please note that the British embassy personnel detained by Iran are in fact Iranians.Britain is an equal opportunity society.

[Mediocrates]

And for better or worse when nationals work for foreign governments in their own host countries they are still bound by local laws.

[maven]

And for better or worse when nationals work for foreign governments in their own host countries they are still bound by local laws.Of course, in Iran it is an offence to protest and if they did they should have known that like all other Iranians.

But I doubt they will face a court that will allow them a proper defense. They may have had nothing to do with the Protests whatsoever and may have been just picked up in order that the regime can pretend that the UK, US and others were behind the demonstrations. Iranians (it seems in the eyes of the regime) not being intelligent enough to make these sorts of decisions for themselves.

[Mediocrates]

Well it seems to have worked. The Brits and the EU have been reduced to grumbling and posing. I don't suppose they planned on doing anything else but at least they're on notice that any low level intelligence gathering will be dealt with swiftly and with lethal force. For the life of me I don't recall the Iranians screaming about the dreaded Russian menace. Oh well.

[second_coming]

I saw an article today where Merkel is whining about the West Bank settlements.

I would spit in this woman's despicable face if I ever met her, for all of the money Germany has made off of iran - and how hard it has worked behind the scenes to protect iran and its own business interests - while deflecting serious sanctions and efforts to stop iran's nuclear weapons program.

[maven]

IRAN CALLS EU'S BLUFF

Iranian cleric: British Embassy staff to be tried
AP - 03 July 2009 11:30:05
By The Associated Press

A top Iranian cleric said Friday that some of the detained Iranian staffers of the British Embassy in Tehran will be put on trial, and he accused Britain of a role in instigating widespread protests that erupted over the country's disputed presidential election.

The announcement by Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati came a day after the European Union

demanded Iran release the staffers, who were detained on June 27. Britain is pressing EU countries to pull their ambassadors out of Tehran in protest.

Jannati, a hard-liner who is close to Iran's supreme leader, told worshippers during a Friday prayer sermon in Tehran that the detained staffers "made confessions."

"In these events, their embassy had a presence," he said, referring to the post-election turmoil. "Some people were arrested. Well, inevitably, they will be put on trial."

He did not say how many staffers will be tried or on what charges. Earlier Iranian officials said all but one of the eight embassy personnel arrested on June 27 had been released, but European Union officials said they believed more than one was still being held.

In London, a Foreign Office spokeswoman said of Jannati's comments that British officials are "very concerned about these reports and are investigating."

Jannati does not hold a position in the government or judiciary, but is the head of the Guardian Council, a powerful body in Iran's ruling clerical hierarchy that stands above the elected government. He is also close to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Jannati told the thousands of worshippers that the British "had designed a velvet revolution ... In March, they said (in their Foreign Ministry) that street riots were possible during June elections. These are signs ... revealed by themselves."

He also said those involved in protests "need to repent and ask God to forgive them."

Protests erupted in Tehran and other cities after official results showed a landslide victory for incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in the June 12 presidential election over his pro-reform rival Mir Hossein Mousavi. The pro-reform camp said the results were fraudulent, but the protests were quashed in a tough crackdown.

http://www.mail.com/Article.aspx?articlepath=APNews\Middle-East\20090703\ML-Iran-Election.xml&cat=world&subcat=middleeast&pageid=1

Will they EU bottle it? Or will they follow their threat up with action? Whatever they do Russia and China have pledged their support for the Iranian regime and reassured the Mullahs that they will prevent any more sanctions.

[Kenneth]

http://euobserver.com/9/28404
Iran says Europe no longer qualified to conduct nuclear talks

LUCIA KUBOSOVA (lku@euobs.com)
02.07.2009 @ 09:30 CET
Iran says Europe is no longer qualified to hold nuclear talks due to its meddling with the post-election protests in the country, with Sweden, as the new EU presidency, calling up officials from the 27-member bloc to discuss the next diplomatic move.

The EU has played a significant part in international efforts to make Tehran comply with the world's rules on nuclear power. Three EU states - Germany, France, and the UK - have been leading the negotiations along with the US, Russia and China.

But Iran's military chief of staff Major-General Hassan Firouzabadi on Wednesday (I July) said that the alleged "interference" of Europeans in the riots following the June presidential election means the bloc has "lost its qualification to hold nuclear talks."

The statement came after Tehran's action against local employees of the UK embassy, accused by Iranians of meddling with the opposition protests.
Nine persons were detained over the weekend but most of them released on Monday and Wednesday. Two British staff members are still in jail.

http://euobserver.com/9/28404

[maven]

Foreign Office officials are talking to their counterparts across Europe to co-ordinate a response to the announcement after two members staff were accused of instigating unrest.

Iranian ambassadors across the European Union have been called in to hear protests, including the ambassador to London, Rasoul Movahedian.

David Milliband "We are urgently seeking clarification from the appropriate Iranian authorities," he said. "I intend to speak to Foreign Minister Mottaki. I welcome the decisions taken by the EU. We are confident that our staff have not engaged in any improper or illegal behaviour."

Nicolas Sarkozy, the French President declared full backing for Britain and called for an intensification of international sanction. He said: "Iranian leaders will really understand that the path that they have chosen will be a dead end. Our solidarity with our English friends is total."

Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, an ally of the regime's leadership, used the Friday prayers sermon at Tehran University to renew the official assault on the UK for fomenting pro-democracy demonstrations in the wake of the June 12 presidential election.

He said: "In these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested. Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions."

There was no confirmation of the trial from the Interior Ministry, which ordered the detention of nine embassy staff last week, but officials conceded that the ayatollah, who is known as the "Crocodile" for his severe manner, was an authoritative voice of the government.

International pressure on Tehran is the only tool the Foreign office has to end the episode. The Vienna Conventions covering diplomatic relations do not accord a foreign power any power to intercede on behalf of local nationals but does confer a general privilege to diplomatic duties.

Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency said that one detained employee "had a remarkable role during the recent unrest in managing it behind the scenes". The report also accused an embassy employee of being a "main element behind the riots" but said she had been freed because she had diplomatic immunity.

Earlier this week, Britain encountered opposition from the EU to a proposed withdrawal of all ambassadors from Iran if the embassy staff members were not released by a set deadline.

Instead, officials agreed to put limits on visas being issued to Iranian officials wanting to visit Europe. Pro-boycott diplomats were keen to keep the option on the table and the meeting eventually agreed that no option would be precluded from future steps.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/5735180/Britain-rallies-opposition-to-Iranian-threat-to-put-embassy-staff-on-trial.html