It looks obvious

Ruth and Judea Pearl, Daniel Pearl parents, wrote today a very good editorial in the Wall Street Journal:

On that score, these families are correct: 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.

Will he? It seems unlikely. Sadly, this is not the first time that concerned parents have turned to Mr. Annan in much the same circumstances. Six years ago, another delegation of distressed families came to the U.N. with a similar tragedy, following the abduction of three Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah from under the noses of Unifil and, by some accounts, with their help. The investigation that was subsequently conducted found that the U.N. had made "serious errors in judgment" by hiding information that "would have been helpful in an assessment of the condition of the three abducted soldiers." At that time, the U.N.’s interest in appearing "neutral" overshadowed its commitment to the preservation of human lives. The world cannot afford a repeat of such inaction and poor judgment.

The UN failed time after time to achieve its only purpose - to prevent, or at least to minimize, wars. Under the leadership of the current general secretary the UN failed to prevent genocide and in the name of neutrality supported, and keep supporting, terror organizations. I can join, although very pessimistically, to the Pearl’s urge:

Kofi Annan’s resolve against these acts of terrorism will determine to a great extent what norms will govern our society in generations to come, and whether organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas will gloat in unruly appetite or be reined in by moral principles. We urge Mr. Annan to make bold and brave efforts to ensure–as a legacy and gift–that we will not allow our children and our world be taken captive by terror. Mr. Secretary-General, this time, help bring the boys back home.