This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/6509217.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
EU ministers back UK in Iran spat EU ministers put pressure on Iran
(about 1 hour later)
EU foreign ministers are closing ranks behind the UK in its row with Iran over 15 captive British sailors and marines. EU foreign ministers have demanded the immediate release of 15 British navy personnel seized by Iran a week ago.
"We intend to send out a message of solidarity," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier at an EU meeting in Bremen. The 27 ministers voiced "unconditional support" for Britain in the dispute, in a statement agreed at a meeting in the north German port city of Bremen.
The German port city is hosting the ministers, as Germany currently holds the European Union presidency. They urged "the immediate and unconditional release" of the crew.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said the UK crew should be freed immediately, without any preconditions. The EU said it reserved the right to take "appropriate measures" if Iran did not comply - though the measures were not spelled out.
Mr Steinmeier held a separate meeting on Iran with the European members of the UN Security Council - Britain, France, Belgium, Slovakia and Italy - to agree on a common line. The BBC's Oana Lungescu in Bremen says the strongly-worded EU statement goes much further than the UN's expression of "grave concern" about the Iran-UK dispute on Thursday.
Germany hosted the EU meeting as it currently holds the EU presidency.
'Unacceptable act''Unacceptable act'
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy described Iran's detention of the Royal Navy crew as "a very serious and unacceptable act which we immediately condemned". Earlier, French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy described Iran's detention of the Royal Navy crew as "a very serious and unacceptable act which we immediately condemned".
"We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the British," he added."We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the British," he added.
But the EU may not be willing to go beyond verbal support at this time, and neither did the UK Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, explicitly ask for a suspension of EU business ties with Tehran, the BBC's Oana Lungescu reports. The UK Foreign Secretary, Margaret Beckett, did not explicitly ask for a suspension of EU business ties with Tehran.
France and other big European countries, including Germany and Italy, have important economic interests in Iran and would be reluctant to heed such calls, our reporter says.France and other big European countries, including Germany and Italy, have important economic interests in Iran and would be reluctant to heed such calls, our reporter says.
The European external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, warned that the EU had to be careful at a very delicate moment in relations with Iran.The European external affairs commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, warned that the EU had to be careful at a very delicate moment in relations with Iran.
Europe should make clear where it stood, she said, but also hold the door open to negotiations on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.Europe should make clear where it stood, she said, but also hold the door open to negotiations on Tehran's controversial nuclear programme.
On Thursday, the UN Security Council voiced grave concern over the sailors and marines.
The foreign minister of Turkey, whose country is trying to intervene on the UK sailors' behalf, was also invited to the meeting in Bremen.The foreign minister of Turkey, whose country is trying to intervene on the UK sailors' behalf, was also invited to the meeting in Bremen.
The ministers also discussed the Middle East and Kosovo.The ministers also discussed the Middle East and Kosovo.
A paper prepared for the meeting says an EU police mission - the largest of its kind set up by the bloc - could be in place in Kosovo for at least two years and the international community will need to raise $2bn (£1bn) to prop up the province's fragile economy.A paper prepared for the meeting says an EU police mission - the largest of its kind set up by the bloc - could be in place in Kosovo for at least two years and the international community will need to raise $2bn (£1bn) to prop up the province's fragile economy.