Talks over captured Israelis reported

BEIRUT, Lebanon – Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Tuesday that “serious negotiations” were under way over the fate of two Israeli soldiers whose July 12 capture by his militant group sparked a month of brutal fighting in Lebanon.

In a three-hour taped television interview, Nasrallah said a negotiator appointed by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has been meeting with Hezbollah and Israeli officials.

He would not provide details about the negotiations, but told Hezbollah’s TV station, “We have reached a stage of exchanging ideas, proposals or conditions.”

Officials from the Israeli Defense Ministry and Foreign Ministry were not available for immediate comment.

Nasrallah has offered to exchange the two Israeli soldiers for Arab prisoners in Israeli jails, but Israel has repeatedly refused. Although the U.N. resolution that ended the 34-day war called for the soldiers’ unconditional release, Israel has exchanged prisoners in the past.

“They are serious negotiations … It’s better to keep it away from the media … this issue is on track. We are moving ahead. How long does it take? It’s up to the nature of the negotiations,” Nasrallah said.

In the same interview, Nasrallah warned that any attempts by an international force to disarm Hezbollah would transform Lebanon into another Iraq or Afghanistan.