Sailor crisis end should be model for US-Iran talks

06 April, 2007

An editorial in Qatar's Asharq pointed out Thursday that the 15 British sailors captured last month by the Iranian authorities were returning home not because of a commando rescue-operation or attack, but due to diplomatic contacts.

The pro-government daily said Qatar and other regional countries had played an instrumental role in defusing the crisis between Tehran and London, ultimately leading to the release of the naval personnel.

"The conclusion of this crisis should be noticed by Washington in its dealing with Iran, which has proven its flexibility and response to dialogue," it argued.

The paper urged the Bush administration to realize that it was dealing with a country responsive to dialogue and that it was possible to reach a peaceful settlement on Iran's nuclear dossier.

"The White House should [use] the dialogue [option] to avert ... a new [regional] crisis, especially when it finds itself stuck in the Iraqi and Afghan [quagmires], [as well as] the Palestinian issue," the paper said.

It insisted the United States was being offered an opportunity from which it could benefit, given also the available support from stability-oriented regional countries. The paper added that the resolution to the British sailor crisis should be a model for US dealings with Tehran.

"Dialogue is the only way for a peaceful ending; other [tactics] will pull Iran [toward aggression], just like Iraq and Afghanistan, to burn the entire region," it warned.

Posted by munaeem 08:07 | Middle East Crisis | Comment(0) | Permalink

name: M. Munaeem Jamal

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