One of the two Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, Ehud Regev or Eldad Goldwasser, is alive, German sources told the Lebanese daily An-Nahar Saturday.

The paper, identified with Hezbollah's opposition, said the German sources had "understood that one of the prisoners was still alive and that the other had died."

The report also said the Germans had attempted to glean information about the soldiers from General Michel Aoun, who is close to Hezbollah, but that Aoun had refused to discuss the matter.

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The United Nations is brokering talks between Israel and Hezbollah over the soldiers, apparently through a German intelligence operative.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah emphasized last week that the UN is continuing to mediate between Israel and his Islamic group in order to reach an agreement over swapping prisoners.

Nasrallah said he would pass information over the medical condition of the men only in return for Israeli concessions as part of negotiations.

Shlomo Goldwasser, father of abducted soldier Ehud, said in response that the families of the abducted soldiers dismiss the information as unsubstantiated.

"When information existed as though both soldiers were alive and well, we did not take them seriously," he said. "Since the abduction we receive this or that message that Red Cross representatives will be allowed to visit or will be give details that could indicate with certainty at their condition."


French FM said to discuss abducted soldiers with Hezbollah
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, on a visit to Beirut for talks with Lebanese leaders, is set to meet on Saturday with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the Lebanese newspaper al-Diyar reported.

According to the report, the two will discuss a possible hostage agreement that would bring abducted IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev home in exchange for the release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israeli jails.

In a televised interview with the Qatari-based al-Jazeera news channel last week, Nasrallah refused to say whether Regev and Goldwasser are alive.

Referring to a statement made by Kouchner, in which he said he was led to believe the two men are still living, Nasrallah said, "The minister understood that they are alive, but our people do not tend to answer questions of this sort."

"Only I am authorized to pass along details on this subject. Every statement of this sort can bring us human compensation, which is why we don't give information for free," he continued.

Kouchner also met Saturday with Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who is allied to Hezbollah, at Berri's home in Beirut on Saturday.

The meeting comes on the second day of Kouchner's visit to Beirut for talks aimed at ending a standoff between the country's political parties.

Kouchner was to hold talks with Lebanese officials all day Saturday to encourage rival political parties to end the eight-month power struggle between the anti-Syrian government and the Hezbollah-led opposition.

Kouchner headed Friday directly to the governmental palace to meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.

"We will continue our efforts to achieve the right atmosphere between the Lebanese leaders," Kouchner said on arrival.

According to a member of the French delegation ccompanying Kouchner, the foreign minister's talks, which began earlier this month in France, were focused on achieving a breakthrough between rival Lebanese factions.

But observers in Lebanon see "very little chance" of a breakthrough during the two-day visit.

"The gap is deeper now between the Lebanese leaders and chances of reconciliation is dim," said political analyst George Alam.

A member of the pro-Syrian opposition who requested anonymity said that, "The mission is delicate and at this time chances are weak to achieve a breakthrough."

The Hezbollah-led opposition has been demanding the establishment of a national unity government in which the opposition would have the power to veto.

The anti-Syrian majority have rejected the demand and insisted that this can only happen if the opposition, also backed by Berri, agrees to stop blocking parliamentary sessions to ensure the quorum required for presidential elections to replace pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud by a November 25 deadline.

Marwan Hamadeh, anti-Syrian telecommunications minister, said "France does not have high hopes, but the French officials are determined to move the negotiations a step ahead."

Kouchner is expected to head to Egypt on Sunday to brief members of the Arab League on his talks in Beirut.

The resignation in November of six pro-Syrian ministers, five of them Shi'ite, sparked the country's worst political crisis since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.