Turk diplomats may visit detained UK sailors

ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkish diplomats may be allowed to visit British military personnel detained in Iran, CNN Turk television quoted Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan as saying on Wednesday after talks with Iran's foreign minister.

British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett discussed the plight of the 15 personnel in talks with Erdogan in Ankara on Tuesday. Turkey, which has cordial ties with neighbouring Iran, has said it will do all it can to help Britain, a NATO ally.

"It is possible that Turkish diplomats will see the 15 British sailors," CNN Turk quoted Erdogan as saying after his talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki in Saudi Arabia, where they are attending a meeting of the Arab League.

Erdogan did not say when the meeting might take place.

The state Anatolian news agency quoted Erdogan saying: "You can expect a positive development at any moment."

Beckett also spoke with Mottaki by telephone during her visit to Ankara on Tuesday, Turkish media said. She cut short her Turkey trip and returned to London on Tuesday night because of the row with Iran.

The crisis over the captured British sailors and marines has coincided with a new U.N. Security Council resolution passed at the weekend which imposes sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. Iran denies Western claims it is building atomic weapons and says the U.N. sanctions are illegal.