(Haaretz). President Shimon Peres met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Monday after he landed in Washington D.C., the first in a series of high-profile meetings scheduled for his U.S. trip this week.
The president and U.S. secretary of state met at the Blair House, where an Israeli flag had been put up to honor the Israeli visitor. Clinton and Peres met one-on-one, however they spoke with the press prior to their meeting, both full of positive projections for their talk.
In their statement to the press, Peres, who spoke first, said that Clinton's name for Israel symbolizes "true friendship, even in tough times," and that Israelis are full of respect for her.
The Israeli president added that the Middle East is in the midst of "storm", and he hopes that the recent turmoil that has swept up the region will bring more security, peace and democracy – a change that Israel will support.
Clinton called Peres an "exceptional leader", lauding him for his pursuit of peace. The U.S. secretary of state said that she and President Obama are looking forward to their meetings with him, concurring with his assessment of the trend of uprisings in the Middle East that has come to be known as the 'Arab Spring' and adding that the revolutions are generational, not an overall upheaval of Arab civilizations.
She added that although this is a time of uprisings and uncertainty, it is also an opportunity for change and progress.
"At 88, you are of the youngest people I know and you saw changes much earlier than many of us did," Clinton told Peres, saying she was anticipating the president's vision for the Middle East going forward and how to bring about positive results for the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.