The following is an interesting article, especially when considered in the light of recent events involving some British soldiers and Iran, as well as some actions and reactions by the US.
"WASHINGTON: The US had no plans to release five Iranians captured in Iraq and accused of supporting Iraqi insurgents, the Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, said.
Mr Gates rejected speculation that the US was preparing to release the group or allow consular access to them as part of a deal under which Iran released 15 British sailors and marines accused of entering Iranian waters.
"There's no inclination right now to let them go," he said in Washington on Thursday when asked about the fate of the five Iranians.
Iraqi and US government officials were discussing if there could be some Iranian access to them, he said. "But as far as I know, there's no requirement for that. I don't think that consular access is being considered. I think the issue is whether there's some other means by which some other access might be given."
Mr Gates' comments appeared to fall short of a statement by a US military spokesman, Major General William Caldwell, who told reporters in Baghdad that a consular request to visit the five Iranians was "being assessed".
The five Iranians were arrested by US forces in the northern city of Arbil, in Iraqi Kurdistan, on January 11. The US accuses the men of being members of the elite al-Quds Brigade of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Officials have remained vague about the fate of the five, declining to say where they are being held.
Agence France-Presse"
From The Sydney Morning Herald.
It is interesting to see what might have happened had the case been reversed. If the British soldiers were, say, Iranians, and the government of Iran was, say the American government!
It probably does not take much imagination to guess what would have happened. Part of the answer is provided in the article, above.
What hypocrites these politicians are! A point in case is the affair involving a young Australian man by the name of David Hicks. Apparently he converted to Islam a few years ago and he visited several countries including Pakistan and Afghanistan. Apparently he got involved with Al Quaeda, although it is not very clear how deeply. He was arrested by the Americans during the war against the Taliban.
The Americans also arrested other Westerners, including some British citizens whom they set free after the British government intervened on its citizens behalf.
However the Australian government of John Howard did not intervene with the Americans, on behalf of D. Hicks. It suited, politically for the Australian governmwent to do nothing and just accept the US actions on Hicks.
Hicks languished in the American prison of Guantanamo Bay for five years. According to reports (denied by the Americans and the Australian government) Hicks was tortured and treated like an animal, in chains.
Hicks was not charged with anything during all this time. Finally, five years later, an agreement has been reached. Hicks had to agree that he "agreed with the actions of Al Quaeda, or something to that effect, and he would serve nine months in prison in Australia. He is to return to Australia sometime soon. But he is not allowed to speak to ANYONE about his ordeal or the agreement with the Americans, or anything else, at least for the next year or so.
In the meantime, the popularity of the Australian government has been going down. The opposition Labor Party has been riding high in the polls. Australians are unhappy with the lies of John Howard and he is worried about his chances in the elections due to be held later this year.
This D. Hicks affair is an unpopular issue and John Howard wants to get rid of it very quickly. This explains his recent half hearted pathetic attempts to "bring Hicks home", etc etc.
All of this is happening in a democratic country, like the US and Australia. And what did the Iranians do with those soldiers they captured in their territorial waters? Sure, Iran used the affair for its own propaganda. But did they throw those soldiers in their Guantanamo Bay prison?
Did they hold them in chains, without charges, for years...
Democracy is in the eye of the beholder. Freedom is just but a dream.
Justice has just gone out the window.
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