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Britain wins backing from G8 over detained embassy employee
Ben Bailey9 Jul 2009
Britain has won strong support from G8 nations in its row with Iran over a detained embassy employee.
The leaders of the G8 nations, meeting in Italy, agreed a communique last night demanding that Tehran allow embassies to exercise their functions "without arbitrary restrictions on or intimidation of their staff".
The G8 - made up of Britain, the US, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, Japan and Russia - also warned Iran that arrests of foreign nationals and journalists were "unacceptable" in the wake of the unrest which followed last month's disputed presidential elections.
The communique, agreed over dinner at the end of the first day of the summit in L'Aquila, said: "G8 countries continue to be seriously concerned about recent events in Iran.
"Interference with the media, unjustified detentions of journalists and recent arrests of foreign nationals are unacceptable.
"Embassies in Iran must be permitted to exercise their functions effectively under the Vienna Convention without arbitrary restrictions on or intimidation of their staff."
The document also voiced concern over Iran's nuclear ambitions, which Tehran insists are limited to civil power, but are widely thought to be directed at developing a weapons capacity.
"We remain deeply concerned over proliferation risks posed by Iran's nuclear programme," said the communique.
"We strongly urge Iran to co-operate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency and to comply with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions without further delay."
