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CORFU, Greece - The European Union vowed Sunday to meet any harassment of diplomats in Iran with a "strong and collective response" after eight British embassy staff in Tehran were arrested.
"The harassment or intimidation of foreign and Iranian staff working at the EU embassies will be met with a strong and collective EU response," said a statement by the Czech EU presidency.
The condemnation came after a meeting of EU foreign ministers on the Greek island of Corfu and as Western nations faced increasing fire from the Islamic republic for allegations of "meddling" in its internal affairs.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband expressed satisfaction at the solidarity from his EU partners, in particular their "unanimous condemnation" of the actions by the Iranian authorities.
"It's very important that all countries adhere to diplomatic norms," he said.
"There was ... a unanimous view that the European Union would act with solidarity and common commitment in the face of harassment and intimidation," he said.
The arrests, part of a backlash against what Iranian leaders call foreign "meddling," came as opposition leaders again defied the regime, rejecting a panel for a partial recount in the hotly disputed presidential vote.
Iran has repeatedly accused Britain and the United States of stoking the unrest that swept the country after the June 12 election, which returned hardliner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.
Opposition campaigners say the vote was rigged.
Miliband could not provide details about the arrests -- which he said had numbered nine -- but said he was in contact with the Iranian foreign ministry and urged them to work on the release of the diplomats.
"As of this morning I know that four have been released, I am still waiting for further confirmation of whether any more have been released in the last two hours," he said.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt underlined that the ministers from the 27-nation bloc had not discussed any possible sanctions in their informal talks here, and would not be drawn on what response the EU might have.
"We need to take the situation day by day and assess it. This is a dynamic and ongoing situation. I don't think you should tie yourself to a mast particularly," he said.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana added: "We have to stress complete solidarity with the United Kingdom."
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini reiterated a call for visas from the 25-nation Schengen no borders area to be issued to Iranian opposition figures who might need them, but no decisions were taken.
"I put on the table a problem, which is how to coordinate treatment of people asking for a visa," he said. "It's simply not possible to have discrepancies."
"To this end we have to better coordination," he said, adding that a coordination meeting of the Schengen area nations would be held soon, without providing details.
Rome's embassy in Tehran has issued visas to Iranian nationals, but the entry point is restricted to Italy.
- AFP /ls
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