LONDON, March 31 (UPI) -- Diplomatic letters have been exchanged between Britain and Iran regarding the 15 British detainees, opening doors to discussions, British officials said.
"We had a diplomatic note and we have made our response," British Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett said. "We have made our response and we are now beginning to discuss."
The two sides were talking, Beckett said, adding, "As you may know, it's a holiday period in Iran and it's probably not too helpful," the Daily Telegraph reported Saturday.
The members of England's military were captured March 23 by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has charged them with trespassing into its territorial waters but British officials maintain the units were on a routine patrol in Iraqi waters under a U.N. mandate.
