|
The Iranian ambassador in Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi today said that the release of two Iranians from Iraqi custody should not be seen as a part of a deal reached between the two sides to free three Americans held by Tehran since July. The Americans identified as Sarah Shourd, 31; her boyfriend, Shane Bauer, 27; and their friend Josh Fattal, 27 is facing spying charges.
Qomi added that the Iranian judiciary will decide the fate of the Americans. "There were no deals. They (Americans) are in the custody of the judiciary system," he noted. Shourd, Bauer, 27 and Fattal were arrested along the Iraqi border by Iranian security officials on espionage charges. But the families of these Americans said that the three were hiking in northern Iraq's mountainous Kurdish region and they must have entered the Iranian territory by mistake.
The mothers of the three Americans were allowed to visit them earlier this month. The permission for the visit, which is seen as a goodwill gesture, and the release of two Iranians in Baghdad, raised the hope of the release of the three detained Americans.
In an interview to a leading US daily, Qomi discussed the case of the three Americans. "The families came and visited them. The judiciary system has a fair position on this matter. We hope that their issue will be solved," said the Iranian envoy.
|
