Iran Lets Brit Sailors Go
The crisis of the 15 British sailors seized by Iran on March 23 has come to an unexpected end. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called press conference in Tehran to say, which great show and fuss, that he was releasing them. He indulged in a little traditionalist sexism as well, saying of Faye Turney, the only woman among the sailors, “How can they justify a mother being so far away from her home and children? Why don't they respect family values in the West?”
The he announced that the Iranian people wanted the sailors to experience the blessings of Allah and, therefore, they were being amnestied as a “gift.”
London was clearly caught by surprise, as Iran intended. In spite of much behind-the-scenes diplomacy and a new, harsh statement by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Britain had few options available, and even proving that the sailors were not in Iranian waters was a difficult task. Ahmadinejad thus found a way to save face and make propaganda gains as the kind leader forgiving the bloodthirsty transgressor.
Iran insisted to the end that Britain should apologize, and London stubbornly refused to do so. The crisis gave new impetus to talk of a forthcoming attack on Iran. World media, citing intelligence sources, named April 6 as the day the Americans would begin a military action code-named “Operation Bite” that would bring a massive strike against Iranian atomic and military facilities. Washington denied that information. In that context, Ahmadinejad's gesture in releasing the British sailors was meant to show Iranian goodwill and the inadequacy of those who wish to settle the Iranian nuclear problem with force.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Apr. 05, 2007
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