Israeli President Shimon Peres departed yesterday for the United States where he will hold talks with US President Barack Obama aimed at furthering regional peace efforts.

Peres, who holds a largely ceremonial position, is nevertheless regarded as an elder statesman of Israeli politics and both sides will be hoping he can ease often tense relations between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Nobel peace laureate is to meet US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday, his office said.

He will meet Obama on Tuesday for talks, which the White House said planned to

focus on US-Israeli security cooperation, the recent turbulent developments in the Middle East and stalled regional peace efforts at the meeting.

US-brokered peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians stalled in late 2010 after Netanyahu refused to extend a temporary freeze on Jewish settlement building in the West Bank.

Efforts by Washington to coax Israel into reimposing a freeze collapsed in December, and the Palestinians are refusing to continue negotiating while Israel builds on land they want for their promised state.

Peres was also set to hold meetings with Vice President Joe Biden and Congressional leaders.