AMMAN, Jordan, April 2 (UPI) -- The Jordan Times said Monday Iran's seizure of 15 British navy troops threatens to become a major crisis unless reason and common sense prevail. The English-language daily added in its editorial whether the sailors crossed into Iranian waters illegally is irrelevant since they clearly had no hostile intentions, saying 15 people armed with light weapons hardly constitutes a real threat to Iranian national interests or security. "Iran should have acted in good faith and with compassion in this instance, instead of viewing the purported transgression as a major provocation by Britain," it remarked. The paper, partially owned by the government, stressed the entire issue is not worth the "commotion and complication following it, especially when serious accusations are already leveled at Iran for its nuclear program." It said while Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was right to say British leaders should avoid media storms and politicization to avoid further complicating the affair, Iranian leaders should also "stop blowing the incident out of proportion and, instead, treat it as it is: a minor trespassing." It urged the Iranian leaders to show statesmanship and release the 15 British sailors without "inconsequential conditions," like an official apology from the London government. "Iran is already suffering from isolation on account of its nuclear program," it said. "The last thing the country needs is to add another problem to a brewing crisis."
The London-based al-Quds al-Arabi predicted Iran would not release the British sailors without something in exchange and might seek the release of five Iranian officials arrested by U.S. forces in northern Iraq in return. The independent Palestinian-owned daily said angry protests in front of the British Embassy in Tehran and throwing explosives at the building confirms the Iranians are purposely escalating pressure on the British government and showing clear defiance. "These are the signs of political confrontation ahead of a military one," it argued, saying the U.S. aircraft carriers deploying in the Gulf and holding maritime maneuvers are part of preparations for resorting to a military option if U.S. leaders decide to do so. The paper maintained that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has been the most harmed personally from the continuing crisis and was seeking to retire comfortably next summer. "But the curse of Iraq will keep haunting him his whole life," it opined, adding the British people should not ask why their sailors were seized, but the reasons for their presence in Iraq in the first place. "Britain started drowning in the Iranian trap set up in Iraq, and perhaps the best solution with the least losses for it is to withdraw, and as quickly as possible, before the greater disaster hits," it said.
Qatar's al-Watan blasted the British handling of the crisis with Iran over the seized sailors, saying British diplomatic irresponsibility had obstructed the release of the only female sailor the Iranian authorities were holding. The pro-government daily added in a commentary that had the powerful Western nations refrained from making provocative statements, Iran would have reconsidered its position and resorted to a positive initiative to resolve the issue. The release of the female soldier could have given London plenty of facts and details on the case, which might have given a new vision to British diplomacy, it said. "But the pride of the delusional empire lost this rare opportunity," the paper opined. It maintained that if the British insist they didn't violate Iranian waters, they should have provided "logical solutions from the beginning, away from threats and warnings." It stressed the only definite factor now is the crisis will not be resolved except in a deal, saying there is no room for concessions after the verbal and media confrontations where neither side can regress on their position. "The case, then, has turned into one of dignity and breaking heads between two states ... and all indications show there is no decisive solution soon," it said. "And the sailors will remain the victims in the midst of clashing political waves."
Oman Daily said the world marks lying on April 1, although the world celebrates lies every day. "We see (the lies) on television, hear them on radios, read them in the papers, do it in the market and write them on our slogans," it remarked in a commentary. The pro-government paper said the war on Iraq has been an ongoing lie for years. "Aren't the Arab democratic elections a lie practiced in the republics?" it asked. The daily outlined a list of what it said were continuing fibs, such as the victory of capitalism after the end of the Cold War, promises for more safety and stability in the world and dealing with half of the new Palestinian government. "Isn't Israel's denial of possessing nuclear weapons, despite the knowledge of the West, and demanding from the Arabs assurances to Israel's future a lie that raises blood pressure?" it asked. The paper went further and asked: "Isn't the Holocaust, for which Germany and the entire world are paying the endless price, not the lie of all lies?" The commentary insisted there are too many lies to allocate April 1 to celebrate them, complaining that humanity has melted into political, social and cultural hypocrisy on all levels. "Lying has become a necessary evil," it opined, "and anyone who believes he's never lied to another, he's exercising an even worse lie: he is lying to himself."
