UK Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Briefs Media (MaximsNews Network)

In an earlier photo, David Miliband, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, flanked by Rama Yade (left), Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights of France, speaks to journalists prior to a Security Council meeting on post-conflict peace-building at UN headquarters in New York. UN Photo: 178140: Mark Garten.

        UNITED NATIONS - / MaximsNews Network / 28 June 2009 -  The EU Foreign Ministers have condemned the continued arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators in Iran, and have called for the immediate release of Iranian staff working at the British Embassy in Tehran. Read the statement:

"The Foreign Ministers of the European Union remain seriously concerned about events in Iran. 

"They condemn the continued arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators and journalists, and the increasing restrictions on both the domestic and foreign media. 

"EU Foreign Ministers condemn the unjustified expulsion of two UK Diplomats and the detention of several Iranian staff working at the British Embassy in Tehran.

"They call on the Iranian authorities to release these Embassy staff immediately and to offer full protection of all staff working in EU Embassies in Tehran in accordance with the Vienna convention and Diplomatic norms. 

"They make clear to the Iranian authorities that harassment or intimidation of foreign or Iranian staff working in Embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response."

Commenting on the situation in Tehran UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said:

"The United Kingdom is deeply concerned at the arrest and, in some cases, continued detention of some of our hard-working locally-engaged staff in Tehran.   "This is harassment and intimidation of a kind which is quite unacceptable. These are hard-working diplomatic staff.  "The idea that the British Embassy is somehow behind the demonstrations and protests that have been taking place in Tehran in recent weeks is wholly without foundation.  "We have protested in strong terms, directly to the Iranian authorities, about the arrests that took place yesterday. "I think it is very important that I discuss this with my EU colleagues later on this afternoon.  "All European countries have made clear that they want to stand together in standing up for the diplomatic principles that are important for our diplomatic activity all over the world.  "At the moment our top priority is the position of our locally-engaged staff who we want to see released unharmed and back to work," said Miliband. ~~~~~

NEWS: UK FOREIGN OFFICE: ••• EU FOREIGN MINISTERS CONDEMN THE UNJUSTIFIED EXPULSION OF TWO UK DIPLOMATS AND DETENTION OF SOME IRANIAN STAFF WORKING AT THE BRITISH EMBASSY IN TEHRAN: 28/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network)  ••• UK AMBASSADOR TO U.N., SIR JOHN SAWERS, APPOINTED CHIEF OF BRITON'S SECRET INTELLIGENCE SERVICE, MI6: VIDEOS AT UN MEDIA STAKEOUTS: 28/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network) ••• MALLOCH-BROWN: UN CONFERENCE ON WORLD FINANCIAL & ECONOMIC CRISIS AND ITS IMPACT ON DEVELOPMENT: VIDEO & FULL-TEXT: 28/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network) ••• LORD MALLOCH-BROWN: INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE & UN CONVENTION AGAINST TORTURE: 28/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network)  ••• UK'S GLENYS KINNOCK, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EUROPE: "THE CHALLENGE OF EUROPE": VIDEO & FULL-TEXT: 25/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network) . ••• UK' FOREIGN SECRETARY DAVID MILIBAND: "EUROPEAN RENEWAL AMIDST GLOBAL ADVERSITY": VIDEO & FULL-TEXT: 24/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network)  ••• LORD MALLOCH-BROWN ON THE MURDER OF OMAR HASHI ADEN, MINISTER OF SECURITY, SOMALI TRANSITIONAL FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: 18/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network) ••• LORD MALLOCH-BROWN: "AFRICA, WEATHERING THE STORM AND CHARTING RECOVERY": 09/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network) ••• LORD MALLOCH-BROWN TRAVELS TO AFRICA TO FOCUS ON THE REGIONAL ECONOMIC CHALLENGES DUE TO GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS: 08/06/2009 (MaximsNews Network)

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Labels: UK, David Miliband, UK Foreign Minister, EU Foreign Ministers statement, Iran, Tehran, expulsion, British diplomats, British Embassy in Tehran, EU Embassies in Tehran, EU response, Iranian staff, Vienna convention, Diplomatic norms, detention and release of Embassy staff, United Nations, U.N., Rama Yade, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Human Rights of France, United Kingdom, David Miliband, UK Foreign Office, Foreign Secretary, Foreign and Defense policy, FULL-TEXT, United Kingdom, 

 

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