THEY ARE, BY THEIR OWN CREDIBLE ACCOUNTS, TWO ordinary Britons tripped up by circumstances. Paul Ride, 33, a catering manager employed in Kuwait, says he was forced into Iraq by soldiers during a business trip near the border. Michael Wainwright, 41, claims he was admitted to Kurdistan by Iraqi guards while visiting Turkey. Both are now serving long terms for illegal entry, and Iraq has tied their fate to a payoff demanded of the British government growing out of the Gulf War.
As relatives were permitted to visit the two in a Baghdad prison, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz hinted...