Iran releases Finnish businessmen

Finland used silent diplomacy to resolve incident

print this

Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva (Nat. Coalition Party) says that he was relieved at the news of the release of a group of three Finnish employees of Nokia-Siemens Networks, who were detained on Saturday by Iran while they were fishing in the Persian Gulf. Iran said that the boat that the men were using had entered Iranian territorial waters.
      The men were released on Wednesday. Commenting on the events, Kanerva said that it is always a "rough situation" when Finns get into trouble abroad.
      Kanerva also said that the Iranian side was satisfied with the way that Finland handled the matter. "Risk analyses were made in many different directions", he said.
     
The Ministry for Foreign Affairs learned of the incident on Saturday, and the Foreign Minister was told about it on Sunday. Kanerva said that the Foreign Ministry's quiet approach on giving out information was deliberate.
      Kanerva said that getting the men released was the principal aim - not doleing out information.
     
The ministry initially decided to take the line that possible questions would be answered; the Foreign Ministry assumed that the incident would eventually leak into the media through the hundreds of Finns living in the region.
      However, in practice, the ministry was more open than that. On Tuesday evening Helsingin Sanomat was told that a statement would be issued on Wednesday. Less than an hour later, the policy line on information became more open.
      Kanerva felt that the initial decision to give information only if asked would have been the first choice of anyone considering strategy on the matter. He felt that the ministry was absolutely correct, in the light of local conditions.
      Kanerva added that he would not have wanted to see newspaper headlines with words such as "kidnapping" or "hijacking". He said that such headlines would have appeared in newspapers if the ministry had organised a press conference before specific information became available.
      Kanerva emphasised that there was no specific information even on Wednesday afternoon.
      "There is no information on the conditions in which they were detained", he said before the men were released.
      One reason for the Foreign Ministry's silence was consideration for the culture of the other side.
     
Another source of difficulty was that the Foreign Ministry did not initially have any information about the events themselves.
      Kanerva said that the Foreign Ministry took action "like lightning"; Iran was contacted many times from the very beginning, both via diplomatic and private channels.
      Kanerva would not speculate whether or not Nokia Siemens wanted the Foreign Ministry to take a silent approach. However, he did say that he believes that the company was aware of cultural factors in the area.
      "The company has probably made the assessment that the matter would not be resolved by shaking fists", Kanerva said.
     
Iran's Ambassador to Finland, Reza Nazarahari, told the Finnish Foreign Ministry already on Wednesday morning that the men would probably be released within 48 hours.
      The Finnish Foreign Ministry said that talks with Iranian officials proceeded well.
     
News about the release of the three men came to the Foreign Ministry from the employer, and from family members of the three on Wednesday afternoon.
      We have learned that they have been in contact with their families, and said that they had been released", said Pasi Tuominen at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
      The men, who apparently strayed off course and into Iranian waters while on a fishing trip, had also told their employer Nokia Siemens Networks that they expected to be back at work in Dubai on Thursday.
     
Update: It was reported on Thursday that the Finnish trio are still stranded on the island of Abu Musa in the middle of the Persian Gulf.
      According to the Foreign Ministry, Iran has said it will be transferring the men to the mainland and on to Tehran for further transport as soon as weather conditions permit. There has been a typhoon warning in effect in the area for three days, which has prevented their transport by sea.
     
The ministry received formal word on Thursday from the Iranian authorities that the men had been freed on Wednesday and that they would not be facing court appearances or fines over the incident.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Iran arrests three Nokia Siemens employees in Persian Gulf (6.6.2007)

Helsingin Sanomat