Alleged letter from sailor: Please leave Iraq

POSTED: 1823 GMT (0223 HKT), March 29, 2007 Story Highlights • NEW: Second letter allegedly from female sailor criticizes British policy in Iraq • Iran: British sailors crossed into Iranian waters six times • Larijani says Britain's words, attitude causing delay in release of woman sailor • U.N. Security Council to discuss issue Thursday Adjust font size: Decrease fontDecrease font Enlarge fontEnlarge font TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Iran has released what it says is a second letter from captured British sailor Faye Turney in which she criticizes British policy in Iraq. The Iranian embassy in London released the letter, in which she called on Britain to start withdrawing its troops from Iraq, on Thursday. "Isn't it time for us to start withdrawing our forces from Iraq and let them determine their own future?" said the letter, addressed to the British parliament and faxed to Reuters from the Iranian embassy. Iranian state television on Thursday broadcast a few seconds of footage it said was of the operation that seized the 15 British sailors and marines in Iranian territorial waters. In the five-seconds long footage, gunshots were heard and a helicopter is shown hovering above inflatable boats in choppy seas. Iranian guard boats are shown cruising around while a couple of Iranian guardsmen shoot into the air. Then, some of the British sailors -- including the captured British woman, Leading Seaman Faye Turney -- appear seated in a boat with an Iranian flag, presumably after their capture, Associated Press reported. The footage was strikingly similar to the Wednesday briefing on the incident given by British Vice Admiral Charles Style, who released a map of the Shatt al-Arab purporting to show the coordinates of the British boat when it was captured, along with pictures of handheld GPS devices. Britain's Ministry of Defense said its position remained unchanged by the Iranian footage, AP reported. Earlier Thursday, Iran said the 15 UK military personnel detained last week entered its waters six times before they were arrested, and announced that the promised release of a woman sailor was suspended due to Britain's "behavior" in the matter. An Iranian naval spokesman said there was videotape and documents, including global positioning numbers, to back up their claims that the British navy personnel were in its water illegally. This came as Iranian military commander Alireza Afshar announced that the release of British sailor Faye Turney was being suspended. "The wrong behavior of those who live in London caused the suspension," Afshar said, according to the Mehr news agency. Meanwhile, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Council, warned that Britain's tough stance in the matter was causing a delay in the release of Turney. (Watch as dispute grows more bitter Video) On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki had said Turney would be released "very soon." Larijani said Tehran would like to resolve the issue through bilateral discussions and an investigation of legal and technical issues, and again asserted that the British patrol boats entered Iranian waters illegally. In London, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Thursday that Britain would not seek a confrontation with Iran on the matter. "We want this resolved. We do not want a confrontation over this. We want this resolved as quickly as possible," the spokesman told reporters. Also Thursday, Britain's ambassador to Iran lodged an official complaint about the showing of the British detainees on Iranian television, the Foreign Office said. One video showed Turney, 26, wearing a black scarf covering her hair, "admitting" that she and her crew had gone into Iranian waters. The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the issue Thursday. Britain's U.N. Ambassador, Emyr Jones Parry intends to introduced a draft statement that would have the council "deplore" the detention of the British crew. The language of the draft also says "members of the Security Council support calls for the immediate release" of the British personnel. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Mottaki on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thursday to talk about the situation. On Wednesday, British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett announced Wednesday that London was freezing all bilateral diplomatic business with Iran until the 15 Britons were freed. The dispute has sparked anti-British protests in Iran, raised Middle East tensions, already high over concerns about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and sent shockwaves through the oil market. (Oil shock) In Tehran, Iranian protestors in front of the Foreign Ministry chanted and held banners demanding the British sailors and marines be put on trial, The Associated Press reported. One banner called for the Britons to be executed. Thursday marked the sixth day Tehran has defiantly refused Britain consular access to the detained sailors. They were arrested March 23 as they conducted anti-smuggling patrols near the mouth of the Shatt al-Arab, at the northern end of the Persian Gulf. The waterway has long been the site of tensions between Iraq and Iran, which both claim it as their territory. Britain insists its sailors were in Iraqi waters, but Iran says the vessels clearly entered its territory six times before the crew members were detained. The arrests prompted a flurry of diplomatic activity in and outside the Gulf, with several countries calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the Britons. The United Nations Security Council is expected to discuss the issue Thursday. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon met with Mottaki on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Thursday to talk about the situation. 'Friendly, hospitable' In a videotape broadcast Wednesday on the Iranian Arabic language network Al Alam, Turney -- wearing a black scarf covering her hair -- said that her crew had "trespassed" into Iranian waters. (Watch Turney identify herself and describe what happened Video) "Obviously we trespassed into their waters," she said. "They were very friendly, very hospitable, very thoughtful, nice people. They explained to us why we'd been arrested. There was no aggression, no hurt, no harm. They were very, very compassionate," Turney added. It was not known when the videotape was shot, or if Turney, was able to speak freely, since she is being held against her will. Turney -- who holds the rank of leading seaman, roughly equivalent to a petty officer first class in the U.S. Navy -- appeared to be in good physical condition and wore a black scarf to cover her hair. (Read Turney's profile) In other scenes, she was shown smoking a cigarette as she spoke with someone off camera. The British government reacted angrily to that video and another showing Turney and other crew members eating a meal. Beckett said she was "very concerned about these pictures and any indication of pressure on or coercion of our personnel who were carrying out a routine operation in accordance with international law and under a United Nations resolution in support of the Iraqi government." Wednesday, the British Ministry of Defense gave what it said was proof that the British ship carrying the sailors and marines never strayed into Iranian waters. British Vice Adm. Charles Style said the global positioning system on the ship proves the vessel was "clearly" 3.1 kilometers (1.7 nautical miles) inside Iraqi waters. Iran insists the ship was inside its territorial waters and, according to Style, provided a map with coordinates on Saturday in an attempt to prove the point. Style said those coordinates actually "turned out to confirm they were in Iraqi waters" and Iraq has supported that position. Upon pointing that out Sunday through diplomatic contacts, Style said Iran then "provided a second set of coordinates" on Monday that were "in Iranian waters over two nautical miles" from the position shown by the HMS Cornwall and confirmed by the merchant vessel the British personnel boarded. The "change of coordinates," Style said "is hard to legitimate." Letter also released Iran also released a letter it said was written by Turney to her parents. The letter was handed to the British ambassador to Iran in Tehran on Wednesday, the state-run news agency reported. "We were out in the boats when we were arrested by Iranian forces as we had apparently gone into Iranian waters. I wish we hadn't because then I'd be home with you all right now. I am so sorry we did, because I know we wouldn't be here now if we hadn't," the letter said. (Read letter) CNN cannot confirm that Turney wrote the letter or, if she did, whether she did so under duress. The television station broadcast video of what appeared to be a handwritten letter, signed "Faye." (Watch CNN's Aneesh Raman's analysis of what's striking about this video Video) "I want you all to know that I am well and safe. I am being well looked after. I am fed 3 meals a day and have a constant supply of fluids," the letter said. Meanwhile the U.S. navy was wrapping up its largest exercise in Gulf waters since 2003. (Full story) -- CNN's Shirzad Bozorgmehr contributed to this report Copyright 2007 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. * Tools: * Save | * Print | * E-