THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1980. Triumph in London

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 18

THE PRESS WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1980. Triumph in London

At four minutes past seven o’clock in the evening a body was dumped outside the Iranian Embassy in London. At quarter past eight the siege of the embassy, which had lasted for eight days, had ended. Until the body was dumped outside the way had been open for a peaceful solution to the crisis. But the killing, which was more than . enough proof that the threats of more killings were to be treated seriously, was the point at which further negotiation was impossible. It would have been irresponsible not to have acted then, just as it would have been irresponsible to have endangered the lives of those held hostage to have acted earlier. The Special Air Service, which stormed the embassy carried out its task well. It was tragic that one hostage died but triumphant that the others survived. The bravery of those who stormed the embassy had earlier parallels in the courage of those who negotiated from positions where they could be fired on, and those who delivered medicines or did other tasks. Inside the embassy the hostages had acted coolly enough to stay alive. The whole incident was bizarre, but once events had been set in train it was handled with restraint and then with courage and skill. The Iranian President, Mr BaniSadr, through some process of reasoning not immediately accessible to other observers, found the rescue a triumph for the Iranian people. Most of the rest of the world will be struck by the similarities between the occupation of the Iranian Embassy in London by Arab gunmen and the occupation of the American Embassy in Teheran by armed students. If Iran had a responsible Government it would have spared no effort to bring about the release of the American hostages who have been held for as many months as the Iranians were days. It would be a fitting gesture on the part of the Iranians if, having seen a number of their own people saved, they let the Americans go. Some comparisons are bound to be drawn between the storming of the

Iranian Embassy and the attempted rescue of the American hostages. The circumstances are not comparable. The British acted in their own country with all the backing that the State could give. The Americans tried to act in a foreign country from a distant desert airfield with as few people as they could—a restraint forced upon them by the fear that a stronger or bigger operation might have been misinterpreted by the Soviet Union, Iran’s northern neighbour. The Americans have had a great deal of provocation over their hostages, but as far as is known all the hostages are alive. While there’s life there’s hope. The United States did not want to alter that. The seizing of the Iranian Embassy demonstrated that the troubles of Iran have not been confined to Iran or to its immediate neighbours. Much of the world’s attention has been caught by the plight of the American hostages and been diverted from the crisis that is continuing in Iran and which spilled over into London. An even greater problem exists. While much of American policy is directed towards securing the release of the hostages, the danger looms that the policy may eventually profit the Soviet Union. Such an outcome might catch the world as unaware as did the occupation of the Iranian Embassy. Not the least triumphant part of the events of the evening is the stand that was taken against terrorism and against the seizing of diplomats as hostages. The British wanted it to be clearly understood that at no point had they offered safe conduct to the terrorists. Western governments in particular are vulnerable to the holding of their people hostage. It thus becomes possible for a few determined and committed people to grab a few hostages and try to get the government to meet their demands. In that case it is not just a particular policy at stake but a whole nation. Diplomats are easy prey. The greatest triumph of all would be that the announcement at quarter past eight on that evening that the siege was over marked the fact that all such incidents were over.