Fifteen British military personnel freed by Iran after a two-week
stand-off were reunited with their families on Thursday.
The
14 men and one woman hugged and kissed tearful relatives at a military
base in southwest England ahead of a debriefing session, after landing in London
from Tehran.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to the surprise of British
government, said on Wednesday he had decided to forgive and free the
group, who were seized along with their patrol boats in the northern Gulf
on March 23.
Iran said they had strayed into its waters but Britain said they were
in Iraqi waters on a regular U.N. mission.
In a statement released several hours after their return, the 15 said
their arrival at Heathrow airport had been a "dream come true" and said
they would not forget the welcome.
"The past two weeks have been very difficult, but by staying together
as a team, we kept our spirits up, drawing great comfort from the
knowledge that our loved ones would be waiting for us on our return," they
said in a statement read out by a Royal Marines spokesman.
Prime Minister Tony Blair was somber. He said that while the country
celebrated the safe return the joy was diminished by the killing of four
British soldiers in Iraq on Thursday.
"Just as we rejoice at the return of our 15 service personnel, we are
also grieving and mourning for the loss of our soldiers in Basra, who were
killed as the result of a terrorist act," Blair said outside his office at
10 Downing St.
