Israel's new president vows to work for peace

Elder statesman Shimon Peres took office as Israel’s ninth president today at the age of 83, pledging to devote the full seven-year term to realising his lifelong dream of bringing peace to the Middle East, despite the limitations of the largely ceremonial post.

Peres entered the parliament to military fanfares, walking between rows of soldiers in dress uniforms on a warm, sunny day, stopping to talk to some of them. Peres took his oath of office and spoke of his peace goals – even an ambitious project of digging a canal and artificial lakes in the desert between Israel and Jordan.