ANNAN RETREATS ON ISRAELI HOSTAGES

On Lebanon Trip, Annan Retreats On Hostages (NY Sun)
UNITED NATIONS — In a departure from language used by the U.N. Security Council, Secretary-General Annan yesterday linked the issue of releasing Israeli soldiers to freeing Lebanese terrorists held by Israel. Hezbollah demanded a prisoner swap when it kidnapped the two soldiers on July 12, launching a month-long war.

Mr. Annan, speaking to the press in Beirut, retreated from several demands the Security Council made on Hezbollah and went as far as to equate the conduct of Israeli army soldiers with that of terrorists serving the Taliban regime. "You have to talk with those with the guns to stop shooting, whether they are Israelis or whether they are Taliban or anybody else," he said, referring to the United Nations's need to deliver assistance to victims at times of war.

What Is Kofi Annan Doing for the Kidnapped Israeli Soldiers? - Judea Pearl and Ruth Pearl
As the parents of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and brutally murdered in Pakistan in 2002, we share the anguish of the families of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers, and their frustration with the international community for failing to secure the release of their loved ones. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's call for the unconditional release of these soldiers has been ignored. So now the families of Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev, and Gilad Shalit are asking to meet with Kofi Annan, to ask him to mobilize and intensify the efforts of the international community. The time has come for Mr. Annan to personally and aggressively intervene, and to insist publicly that, at the minimum, the Red Cross, or his personal humanitarian representatives, be given immediate access to these soldiers. (Wall Street Journal)