U.N. WON'T PRESS LEBANON TO RELEASE KIDNAPPED ISRAELIS

UN won't press Lebanon to release Israelis (JNW)
While two Israeli families continue to live in utter distress, UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday indicated he will not pressure Lebanon to live up to its commitment to release their loved ones.

IDF reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted by Lebanon's Hizb'allah (a paramilitary terrorist organization that also serves in the government) last summer, an act that sparked a devastating 34-day war.

The families of the two soldiers met with Ban at UN headquarters to find out why their husbands, fathers and brothers have not yet been returned in compliance with the UN resolution that ended the war.

Ban said he is still working on the matter, but prefers to do so via a "secret facilitator" chosen by his predecessor, Kofi Annan, which allows him to negotiate directly with Hizb'allah.