U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Monday that Israel and Hizbullah have agreed to indirect talks for the release of two abducted Israeli soldiers and that he will appoint a mediator.
Hizbullah has said it would only free the two Israelis as part of a swap for Arab prisoners held by Israel. It also repeatedly has said it is ready for mediation to arrange an exchange.
Annan said at a press conference in Jeddah that both sides had agreed to let his office negotiate between them on the issue of the soldiers. According to the AP, he said he would appoint a mediator who would operate secretly to facilitate working between the two sides.
Annan did not specify whether the mediation would center on proposals for a prisoner swap.
Annan's spokesman, Ahmed Fawzi, said Israel and Hizbullah had both requested that Annan mediate in the prisoner issue. "The secretary-general has accepted to play a role as mediator in the matter of the abducted soldiers," Fawzi told The Associated Press.
