Five Prisoners Freed by Israel Welcomed in Lebanon

Hundreds of people in Lebanon have welcomed the arrival of five formerprisoners in the capital, Beirut, following their release from Israelas part of a prisoner exchange.

The five arrived at Beirut'sairport Wednesday for an official red carpet welcome from LebanesePresident Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Fuad Siniora and othergovernment and religious leaders.

The leader of the Lebanesemilitant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, made a rare publicappearance at the rally in Beirut to greet the former prisoners. Hesaid the age of defeat is over, and the time of victory is now.

Aspart of the prisoner exchange, Hezbollah handed over the remains of twoIsraeli soldiers earlier in the day. They were captured in across-border attack in 2006.

The soldiers' fates had long beenuncertain, but it was only Wednesday that Hezbollah security officialWafik Safa confirmed they were dead. Family and friends who hadgathered at the soldiers' homes were grief-stricken by the news.

IsraelWednesday positively identified the remains as those of soldiers EhudGoldwasser and Eldad Regev. Their capture sparked a month-long war.

Inreturn for the soldiers, Israel released the five Lebanese prisoners,including Samir Kantar, who was convicted of taking part in a 1979cross-border attack in which four Israelis, including two children,died.

Israel also is required to hand over the bodies of 200Lebanese and Palestinian fighters as part of the German-brokeredexchange deal. The Red Cross says it has handed over the bodies ofeight Hezbollah fighters.

United Nations Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon today praised Germany for facilitating the prisonerexchange. But he said there is still more work to be done. Heexpressed hope that the Palestinian militant group Hamas would followsuit and release a captured Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, in exchangefor an Israeli release of Palestinian prisoners.