Relief and reflection

The release of the 15 British Navy personnel in Tehran is a triumph for diplomacy. Yet to be completely successful it must now be seized as an opportunity to open genuine talks between London and Tehran. Yesterday the delighted smiles and heartfelt relief of relatives of the captured sailors and marines expressed the positive outcome to an alarming and distressing incident which should never have happened. However, a disturbing mirror image was the smiling satisfaction of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he played out the final moves in this unsavoury display of manipulation for the benefit of the cameras and microphones of the international media.