UN impotence in action

I really like this quote: Ban Ki-Moon says he has “done a lot” to get Hezbollah to release the soldiers they kidnapped a year ago.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Monday that he has “done a lot” to try and free kidnapped Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser, Eldad Regev and Gilad Shalit, but stressed that this was a matter that must be handled discretely.

Speaking on the backdrop of a rally outside the United Nations building in New York, demanding the international body do more to release the captive soldiers, Ban said, “Because of the sensitivity involving the safe return of the soldiers, I have not said much publicly. The less said publicly will be better for the situation.”

Okay, the UN is on it, everyone else can go home now. Because it’s not like the UN has ever failed at anything it tries to do, like, say, prevent genocide in Rwanda, stop the murders in Darfur, keep Egypt from attacking Israel, and stop Hezbollah from re-arming.

Found the entire exchange about Eldad Regev, Ehud Wasserman, and Gilad Shalit on the UNSecGen site:

Q: Mr. Secretary, thousands of people will be demonstrating a few blocks from here regarding kidnapped Israeli soldiers. That was a main reason for the war last summer. It’s been a year; they haven’t been freed. What is the latest that you can tell them regarding the fate of those soldiers? And will you be speaking out more to demonstrate the need for their release, although we understand there are other prisoner issues related, as always, to the Middle East?

SG: Because of the sensitivities involving the safe return of Israeli soldiers, I have not said much about this issue, what I have been doing. I think the less said publicly may be better for the resolution of this issue. In fact, I have been doing a lot through my facilitator to have the release of two Israeli soldiers captured by Hezbollah. And I have also spoken many times, on numerous occasions, to Palestinian leaders to free, release Corporal [Gilad] Shalit. These efforts will continue.

See? He’s done a lot, and has spoken to Palestinian leaders many times. It’s a slam dunk. The soldiers will be free in, uh, well, let’s face it: When Iran and Syria say they will be free.