Pope Benedict XVI Thursday called for a Middle East peace agreement that is "respectful of the legitimate aspirations" of Israelis and Palestinians, during a meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres.
The pope said he hoped Israeli and Palestinian leaders' resumption of direct talks set for later on Thursday in Washington would assist the parties in reaching a deal "capable of bringing lasting peace to the Holy Land and to the entire region," the Vatican said in a statement.
He also condemned all forms of violence and affirmed "the necessity of guaranteeing better conditions of life to all the peoples of the area."
Under US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's supervision, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will sit down for their first direct talks in nearly two years, with issues that have thwarted previous peace efforts on the table.
Pope Benedict also expressed "hope for the rapid conclusion" of the work of an Israeli-Vatican commission that is drafting an economic accord between the two states.
The "cordial discussions" were conduct in English at Pope Benedict's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.
Peres gave the pope a Menorah, the traditional Jewish seven-branched candelabrum, with an inscription likening Pope Benedict as a shepherd leading his flock to lands of blessing and peace.
The pope in return gave Peres a bronze medal copy of one placed by Pope Alexander VII in 1657 on the first stone of the collonade on the north side of Saing Peter's basilica at the Vatican.