UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan accepted a request from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Wednesday to meet with the families of kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Shalit and send representatives to try to bring about the soldiers' release. Livni came to New York for a 12-hour lightening visit in hopes of advancing Israel's interests in talks on implementing the cease-fire in Lebanon, expediting the deployment of international forces and bringing about the return of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers. "The fact that the kidnapped soldiers have not been released by Hizbullah is a clear violation of UN Resolution 1701 and I expect the international community to continue acting to bring about their immediate release," Livni told Annan.
Livni received a commitment from Annan that 3,500 international soldiers would be deployed in Lebanon within "seven to 10 days." She told the secretary-general that Israel expected the force to be made up of "quality soldiers with real military abilities who come from appropriate countries."