Waite in vain

HOSTAGE: The Complete Story of the Lebanon Captives By Con Coughlin (Little, Brown, $306) WOULD the world be a better place without characters like Terry Waite, the former envoy to the Archbishop of Canterbury who was kidnapped in the Lebanon for almost five years? Before the deluge of complaints, I only ask because after reading Con Coughlin's story of the hostages, I wonder whether Mr Waite should have been allowed anywhere near Beirut.

Mr Waite's status as an ''independent humanitarian'' was compromised by his relationship with the excitable Oliver North, of President Reagan's National Security Council and the prime mover in the arms-for-hostages scandal tritely known as Irangate.

Mr Waite, who may have been confusing himself with Henry Kissinger much of the time, accepted North (or US Government) expenses and directions while taking the credit for hostage releases he had not even come close to brokering. In the end Mr Waite had become so tainted, he took himself to the Lebanon to show he had no American strings attached and fell into the hands of Hezbollah hostage-takers.

There is an element of score-settling - intentional or unintentional. Mr Waite's former employer, Dr Robert (now Lord) Runcie, confesses he let his envoy run out of control and recounts his anger that the 6ft 8in aide failed to inform him of his movements and intentions.

Although the story of Mr Waite's doomed efforts to secure the release of the hostages is the central feature of this work it is by no means the sole one. Mr Coughlin (with whom, I should admit, I have worked for the past three years) covered the hostagecrisis as Middle East correspondent of The Daily Telegraph. Thus he displays an excellent first-hand knowledge of many of those involved while drawing on his own experiences to leaven the narrative.

These have a Scoop-like air to them. When Mr Coughlin feared for his own safety after the abduction of Terry Anderson, back came a telex from London: View Developing Situation Insist You Leave Beirut Soonest Stop Suggest You Cyprusward No Later Than Tomorrow And Then Make Your Way To Israel Stop. The reference to Israel on an open telex line in the heart of Islamic West Beirut was unfortunate in the least, life-endangering at worst.