U.N. to seek Israeli soldiers’ release

? U.N. chief Kofi Annan said Monday he would appoint a mediator for talks between Israel and Hezbollah on the release of two abducted Israeli soldiers, the first public word of negotiations between the bitter enemies since fighting in Lebanon ended.

The agreement on the mediation effort could mark a breakthrough on an issue that is crucial to preserving the fragile 3-week-old cease-fire that ended 34 days of Israel-Hezbollah fighting. Israel mounted its offensive in Lebanon after the Shiite guerrillas seized the two soldiers and killed three others in a cross-border raid July 12.

The U.N. cease-fire resolution that ended the fighting on Aug. 14 urges the unconditional release of the two soldiers. Hezbollah has said it would free them only in a swap for Arab prisoners held by Israel.

“Both sides have accepted the good offices of the secretary-general to help resolve this problem,” Annan told a news conference in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea port of Jiddah. “I will designate someone to work discreetly and quietly with them to find a solution.”

American civil rights leader Jesse Jackson met with Hezbollah officials in Lebanon on Monday and asked them to show proof that the two Israeli soldiers were still alive, saying such a move could give a boost to negotiations. Jackson, who has been in the region for the past 10 days, said the continued detention of the soldiers is “becoming a magnet to attract a second round” of war.

Annan announced the mediation effort after talks with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah in Jiddah, the latest stop in the U.N. chief’s 11-day tour of the Middle East aimed at getting all sides to implement and support the U.N. cease-fire resolution.

The resolution also calls for a 15,000-member U.N. peacekeeping force to deploy in southern Lebanon to keep Hezbollah weapons away from the border with Israel.

Qatar on Monday became the first Arab nation to announce it will contribute to the force, pledging 200 to 300 soldiers. Pakistan’s prime minister toured devastated south Beirut and considered a similar offer.

An Israeli spokesman said his country had no objections to Qatari troops. Qatar does not recognize Israel, but the two countries have low-level trade ties.

The U.S., Europe and Israel have been eager to have Muslim forces among the peacekeepers, but Muslim states fear they could be perceived as opposing Hezbollah, which gained considerable clout in the region for its fierce resistance to the Israeli army.