REPORT: Peres says willing to meet with Rouhani, stresses that Iran is not their enemy

Israeli President Shimon Peres said on Sunday that he does not have any problem meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, stressing that Israel and Iran are not enemies.    

In an interview with CNN's Richard Quest at the Globes Israel Business Conference in Tel Aviv, he explained that “the important factor was not the man in question, but his policies, and the goal was to turn enemies into friends.”  

In this context, Peres compared the decision to Israel's choice to meet with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat ahead of the Oslo Peace agreements.    

The Israeli president said that he had his doubts whether Rouhani could keep his promises of moderation amid the current political climate in Iran and the strength of hardliners, such as the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.    

“Israel, like the United States prefers to stop Iran's nuclear drive through diplomatic measures. We also prefer economic or political pressure before anyone begins to shoot. We are not in a hurry to shoot," he stated.  

However, he rejected the idea that Israel was isolated on the Iranian issue, stating that there was an "impressive coalition" of countries who do not want to see Iran with a nuclear bomb, including the Russians and the Chinese.    

On the issue of the peace process, Peres said that he thought it was possible to complete an agreement with the Palestinians in the nine-month period set out by US Secretary of State John Kerry.