Captive sailor reportedly writes letter calling for Iraq withdrawal

Iran released asecond letter Thursday purportedly written by a captured female British sailor, which calls for the withdrawal of Britain's forces in Iraq.

The veracity of the letter attributed to Faye Turneycould not immediately be determined. It was addressed to British legislators, and said that "unfortunately, we entered Iranian waters."

"I ask the representatives of the House of Commons, after the government promised that this kind of incident wouldn't happen again, why did they let this occur, and why has the government not been questioned over this?" the letter read.

"Isn't it time to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and let them determine their own future?"

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckettimmediately condemned the release of the letterin a statement Thursday.

"We have not seen this letter but we have grave concerns about the circumstances in which it was prepared and issued. This blatant attempt to use leading seaman Turney for propaganda purposes is outrageous and cruel,"Beckett said.

UN expresses 'grave concern'

The letter came on the day the UN Security Council accepted a watered-down statement expressing "grave concern" at Iran's capture of Turney and 14 other sailors and marines in the northern Persian Gulf.

The statement alsocalled for an early resolution of the problem, including their release.

Britain failed to win support for a stronger-worded statement thatwould "deplore" their capture and detention and demand their immediate release.

It comes as Iranretreated froman earlier offer to release Turney. Speaking on state television, Iranian negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran would delayher release if faced with "a fuss and wrong behaviour" from British officials.

"We even said that the grounds were ready for the release of a woman among the British sailors but if we are faced with a fuss and wrong behaviour then this would be suspended and it would not take place," said Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council.

A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the 26-year-old could be released on Wednesday or Thursday.

Turney and 14 other British sailors were seized at gunpoint by members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard while patrolling the neighbouring Iraqi coastline. Tehran says the British sailors entered Iranian waters, while London maintains their boats were three kilometres within Iraqi waters.

Iranian state television also broadcast about five seconds of video on Thursday thatit said was of the operation that seized the British sailors and marines. In the video, a helicopter is shown hovering above inflatable boats in choppy seas.

Then the British seamen and marines appear seated in an Iranian boat, presumably after their capture.

Iran's apparent change of position comes as United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon held talks with Mottaki on the sidelines of an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia.

Ban's spokeswoman, Soung-Ah Choi, said the secretary general was addressing a number of issues, including the March 23 seizure of seven marines and eight sailors.

She would not give immediate details on the continuing talks.

Admit mistake, Iran demands

Earlier in the day, British officials reportedly rejected an Iranian demand to admit the sailors trespassed into Iranian waters, referring to satellite positioning data released by Britain's Ministry of Defence.

Mottaki made the demand in an interview with Associated Press, offering consular access to the sailors and the release of Turney if Britain admitted it made a mistake.

The standoff "can be solved," he said. "But they have to show that it was a mistake. That will help us to end this issue."

Also Thursday, Iran's consul in the Iraqi city of Basra accused British soldiers of surrounding its consulate and firing weapons into the air, said Reuters. Britain has denied the claim.

International tensions rose Wednesday after footage of some of the captured sailors was broadcast on Iran's Arabic-language satellite television station, Al-Alam.

The video also displayed what appeared to be a handwritten letter from Turney to her family.

"I have written a letter to the Iranian people to apologize for us entering their waters," it said. The letter also asks Turney's parents in Britain to look after her three-year-old daughter, Molly, and her husband, Adam.

British officials were outraged by the video, with a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling it a possible breach of the Geneva Conventions.

The third Geneva Convention bans subjecting prisoners of war to intimidation, insults or "public curiosity." Because there is no armed conflict between Iran and Britain, the captives would not technically be classified as prisoners of war.