TRANSCRIPT: INTERVIEWER: "WE HAVE VARIOUS REPORTS, BUT HOW IN FACT WERE YOU CAUGHT?"



SERGEANT LINDSAY: "WE WERE DETAILED TO DO A RECCE TO THE KUWAIT FRONTIER POST ON THE ROAD. WE UNFORTUNATELY MISSED THE POST AND NEVER SAW IT, AND FELL INTO IRAQI HANDS."



INTERVIEWER: THE REPORT OF AT LEAST ONE IRAQI NEWSPAPER SAID THAT YOU HAD AT ONE TIME 'CONFESSED' TO BEING IN THEIR THERE ON A MISSION OF SABOTAGE. WAS THIS TRUE?"



SERGEANT LINDSAY: "ITS NOT TRUE!"



INTERVIEWER: "NOW, CORPORAL TOOKE, HOW WERE YOU TREATED IN CAPTIVITY?"



CORPORAL TOOKE: "WE WERE TREATED ALL RIGHT."



INTERVIEWER: "WHAT WAS THE FOOD LIKE?"



"OH, WE HAD SOME FROM THE EMBASSY, AND WEEL, IT WAS SUFFICIENT AND AMPLE FOR OUR NEEDS."



INTERVIEWER: "BUT WHAT KIND OF FOOD DID THE IRAQIS GIVE YOU?"



CORPORAL TOOKE: "WELL, RICE, STEW, BREAD, PORRIDGE."



INTERVIEWER: "WERE YOU ALLOWED ANY CONTACT WITH YOUR FAMILY?"



SAPPER HARCOMBE: "YES, WE HAD QUITE A FEW LETTERS."



INTERVIEWER: "WHAT SORT OF ACCOMMODATION DID YOU HAVE?"



SAPPER HARCOMBE: "WELL, JUST A NORMAL CELL. LIKE ANY OTHER CELL."



INTERVIEWER: "HOW LARGE?"



SAPPER HARCOMBE: "ABOUT 12 BY 6 FEET."



INTERVIEWER: ("WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO DO NOW?"



SAPPER HARCOMBE: "GO ON A SPOT OF LEAVE."



INTERVIEWER: "WELL, I'M SURE THAT'S WHAT IS IN STORE FOR YOU."



SAPPER HARCOMBE: "I HOPE SO".



INTERVIEWER: "THANK YOU VERY MUCH."




Initials TDH/V/MGT/ES



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THREE BRITISH SOLDIERS ARRIVES AT LONDON AIRPORT EARLY DEC 14 AFTER NEARLY FIVE MONTHS IN AN IRAQI PRISON. THEY - AND TWO BRITISH CIVILIANS - WERE RELEASE THE PREVIOUS DAY ON ORDERS FROM GENERAL KASSEM, THE IRAQI PRIME MINISTER, WHO SENT THIS MESSAGE. "I AM SENDING YOU TO YOUR FAMILIES FOR CHRISTMAS. I WISH YOU THE BEST OF LUCK."
AFTER TEARFUL SCENES OF REUNION WITH THEIR FAMILIES, THE SOLDIERS STAFF SERGEANT GEORGE LINDSAY; LANCE-CORPORAL DEREK TOOKE; AND SAPPER MICHAEL HARCOMBE - WERE ASKED ABOUT THEIR JULY 23 ARREST AFTER STRAYING ACROSS THE KUWAIT-IRAQ FRONTIER WHILE ON A RECONNAISSANCE TRIP IN THEIR ARMOURED CAR, AND THEIR SUBSEQUENT TREATMENT IN PRISON:-