President Shimon Peres met with the Director General of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, Mr. Yukiya Amano

President Shimon Peres, today (Thursday, 24 January 2013), held a working
meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos with the Director General of
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Yukiya Amano. The two
discussed the Iranian nuclear program and efforts to prevent Iran from
acquiring a nuclear weapon.

At the beginning of the meeting President Peres thanked Mr. Amano for his
cooperation in efforts to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and
said, "I would like to thank you for the cooperation – I know that you are
investing great efforts and acting with wisdom and good faith to make the
world a safer place." President Peres addressed the economic sanctions which
the international coalition, led by the United States of America, has placed
on Iran and said, "I cannot predict how things will change in Iran. Iran is
a serious threat and it must understand that the world is serious in its
intentions and that all options are on the table."

Mr. Amano thanked President Peres and told him that it was a great pleasure
to meet him. Amano added that he is doing his utmost to carry out the
responsibility given to him.

President Shimon Peres spoke at the central plenary of the World Economic
Forum in Davos

President Shimon Peres, today (Thursday, 24 January 2013), began his visit
at the World Economic Forum in Davos and spoke at a special plenary
dedicated to the Middle East in light of the changes and challenges facing
the region. At the start of his remarks President Peres commented on the
fact that he would be unable to provide headlines on the recent elections in
Israel and said: "We welcome the elections in Israel. At the moment we
cannot guess which way the new government will face and who will be in it,
we must wait patiently until Wednesday when the official results will be
published. Afterwards, according to the law I will call consult with all the
elected groups in the Knesset. Until then I won't be able to comment further
on the matter."

President Peres spoke in detail about the Arab spring in Egypt, the
situation in Syria and the changes in the Middle East: "Today it is almost
impossible to be a dictator in the Middle East. The central problem for the
people of Egypt today is poverty, unemployment and that is a problem for
many in the Middle East. The young generation wants education, employment
and a decent salary. Israel respects the results of the elections in Egypt
and the elected president. We hope that Egypt will succeed in overcoming its
economic difficulties and achieve economic prosperity."

With respect to the Iranian threat President Peres said, "Iran wants to rule
over the Middle East, and no country wants that to happen. Iran is a center
of terror; it distributes weapons and terror across the world. Iran is not
exclusively an Israeli problem but a problem for the entire world."
President Peres addressed the coalition against Iran under the leadership of
the United States of America and said, "I am confident that President
Obama's policies with regards to Iran are correct. President Obama is
leading a serious, responsible and just coalition against Iran – the Iranian
nation is feeling the impact of economic sanctions."

President Peres also addressed the ongoing bloodshed in Syria and said,
"Syria is suffering from terrible bloodshed with many refugees suffering as
a result. I believe that Assad is running out of options and it is a matter
of time until Assad's reign will end. I also believe that the Arab League
can bring an end to the bloodshed in Syria, if the member countries work
together and will enter with a special military force, with a UN Mandate
that will be responsible for maintaining peace and ending the bloodshed. The
issue is urgent as innocent people are being killed every day."

Before closing the plenary session, Professor Klaus Schwab, founder and
Chairperson of the World Economic Forum, asked President Peres what his
vision for the coming decade and the next generation is as someone who will
be celebrating his 90th birthday this year. President Peres responded and
said, "I'll tell you a personal story - as a child I loved telescopes and I
would speak to my girlfriend about love and the stars, today I prefer
microscopes and to discover the tiny and the hidden that has yet to be
uncovered. I believe that in the next decade the world will be completely
different, full of possibilities and with many more opportunities and
scientific discoveries. The coming decade will focus on the nano, in
scientific developments, and that will be the source of future innovations
more than space and the stars. It is better for us all to offer hope rather
than create despair. Let me tell you a secret: optimists and pessimists die
the same way, but they live differently and from my life experience I can
tell you that it's better to live as an optimist."

Prior to the plenary session President Peres conducted diplomatic meetings
with the president of Azerbaijan and the president of Georgia. During both
meetings the president's discussed the Middle East and increasing the
strategic cooperation between Israel and each of the countries. President
Peres will conduct further meetings during the conference with including
with the Chairman and CEO of Cisco, John Chambers; Co-founder and CEO of
Kickstarter, Perry Chen; Chairman and CEO of the private equity group
Blackstone Stephen Schwarzman and others.

For additional information:
Ayelet Frish – Spokesperson and Media Adviser to the President of Israel,
050-6205111
Yair Zivan – International Media Coordinator, Office of the President of
Israel, 052-3450061