Peres in Athens underlines the need for peace

Israeli president Shimon Peres, on his three days trip to Greece, reiterated today the need for peace and security in Middle East, after 16 militants got killed yesterday at a checkpoint on the Israeli border by a commando of gunmen. He also defined Iran as "the base of today's terrorism". In a joint press conference after talks with Greek president Karolos Papoulias, the Head of Israeli government added: "We want a world of tourists, not terrorists". Papoulias also condemned terrorism "no matter where it comes from". Peres's first visit to Greece is to strengthen cooperation in the area of defence. In his talks with members of the Greek parliament, Peres will discuss issues related to the exploitation of gas detected in large fields off the Israeli coasts, and defence policy.