United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has announced he will appoint a secret mediator to oversee negotiations for the release of Israeli prisoners held by Hezbollah. The soldiers were captured by the guerrilla group on July 12  2006 in a cross border raid, sparking a 34 day war by Israel on Southern Lebanon. The captives are mentioned in UN Resolution 1701 , which requests their release . Israel has also previously said that the soldiers  return is crucial to any peace effort. Annan announced to a press conference in Saudi Arabia that his efforts were requested by both Israel and Hezbollah. Speaking in the Red sea port of Jeddah today  he told reporters: "I will appoint a person to work secretly with the two sides ... I will not announce his name today or tomorrow." The secretary-general is currently on an 11 day tour of the Middle East.
United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan has announced he will appoint a secret mediator to oversee negotiations for the release of Israeli prisoners held by Hezbollah. The soldiers were captured by the guerrilla group on July 12 , 2006 in a cross border raid, sparking a 34 day war by Israel on Lebanon. The UN Security Council resolution 1701 called for the captives to be released . Israel has also previously said that the soldiers ' return is crucial to any peace effort. Annan announced in a press conference in Saudi Arabia that his efforts were requested by both Israel and Hezbollah. Speaking in the Red sea port of Jeddah today , he told reporters: "I will appoint a person to work secretly with the two sides ... I will not announce his name today or tomorrow." The secretary-general is currently on an 11 day tour of the Middle East.
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Southern
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captives are mentioned in UN Resolution
UN Security Council resolution
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, which requests their release
called for the captives to be released
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to
in
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