Blair Won't Negotiate

Minster of Mulishness:

Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that Britain would not negotiate over British sailors and marines held hostage by Iran. In an interview with ITV News, Blair again called for the unconditional return of the 15 Royal Navy personnel who were seized by Iranian authorities last week.

"The important thing for us is to get them back safe and sound, but we can't enter into some basis of bargaining," Blair said. "What you have to do when you are engaged with people like the Iranian regime, you have to keep explaining to them, very patiently, what it is necessary to do and at the same time make them fully aware there are further measures that will be taken if they're not prepared to be reasonable.

"What you can't do is end up negotiating over hostages; end up saying there's some quid pro quo or tit for tat; that's not acceptable," he said.

He speaks more and more like Bush with every passing day (although I grant that Bush probably thinks quid pro quo is the name of a sports deodorant for men).

Today, Britain took its case to the UN Security Council, in spite of Iran's warnings against doing so, accusing Britain of "miscalculating this issue." Britain requested the support of the Security Council on a statement deploring Tehran's action and demanding the immediate release of the 15 soldiers. "But Security Council diplomats said the statement circulated by Britain's UN Mission is likely to face problems from Russia and others because it says the Britons were 'operating in Iraqi waters'—a point that Iran contests." And now, in retaliation, Iran has rescinded its promise to release Leading Seaman Faye Turney, the only female soldier being held.

Britain's position is: "We are not seeking to put Iran in a corner. We are simply saying: Please release the personnel who should not have been seized in the first place." Iran doesn't share their view that the personnel should not have been seized. Nonetheless, I've got to agree with Chet when he says: "There's no need for this to go any further unless Iran wants it to. … If the Iranians had any kind of point to make, they've made it." Cernig is also right when he says it's always easier to escalate.

It's truly disappointing that another casualty of the war on terror seems to have been British diplomacy.