Ban cheers Israeli-Hezbollah prisoner swap

UNITED NATIONS, June 30 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised news of a Israeli-Hezbollah prisoner swap, saying it showed progress in ending conflict between the two entities.

The swap involves the return of two abducted Israeli Israeli soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, and a solution to the cases of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, Ban said Monday in a statement issued from New York. He said the news demonstrated progress in resolving humanitarian aspects of a United Nations Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 conflict between Israel and the Lebanese terrorist group.

The Israeli government approved a prisoner exchange Sunday.

Ban said he "looks forward to the signing and the full implementation of the negotiated agreement in the near future." He said he hoped the action would encourage Israel and Hezbollah to take "further steps on implementing other parts of the resolution."