From: George Sherwood 

On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 13:25:33 -0400, Rich Gauszka wrote:

> "George Sherwood"  wrote in message
> news:pan.2007.03.26.16.44.59{at}beernabeer.com...
>> On Mon, 26 Mar 2007 12:08:17 -0400, Rich Gauszka wrote:
>>
>> Take hostage from an embassy - Iranians have
>>> done that - so have we now.
>>
>> Rich,
>>   Can you explain where we have done that?  Those Iranians taken in
>>   Iraq
>> were neither accredited diplomats or in an Embassy. Unless you are
>> talking about some other situation.
>>
>> George
>
>
> Semantics aside even the Kurds have stated the Iranians were in the
> process of establishing a consulate and were angered by the raid
>

If there is anything I have learned here in the last 12 months it is that
diplomacy is all about semantics.  The facts are that the Iranians that
were detained that were accredited diplomats were turned over to the Iraqi
government and those that were not diplomats have been arrested. And even
your short of statements are a long way from taking hostages from an
Embassy. A very long way.  Read Mark Bowden's book, Guests of the Ayatollah
if you want to see what taking hostages from an Embassy looks like.


> --
>  The Kurdish statement, which includes a call for the immediate release
>  of
> the detainees, says the consulate is entitled to immunity in accordance
> with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.
>
> The statement also says the Kurdish government, which covers the
> provinces of Irbil, Sulaimaniya and Duhuk, needs to be informed when
> such actions are taken.

It was not a consulate accredited by the Iraqi Government. Any one can make
a statement.

George

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