Turner calls Israeli President Shimon Peres a 'beacon of hope'

U.S. media mogul Ted Turner said Thursday that Nobel Prize winner and Israeli President Shimon Peres was a "beacon of hope" for Israel.

Turner and Nobel Prize winner and former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan accompanied a U.N. delegation to meet with Peres to discuss peacemaking efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

"It's good to see you again and to see you as President of the country, which you so deserve," Turner said. "You've been a beacon of hope and ray of light through your whole career."

Before lunch at Peres' official Jerusalem residence, Annan briefly addressed reporters.

"We are here to listen, to learn and to see what is happening," Annan said.

Peres said the U.N. should help to reduce dependence on oil which he said "pollutes the earth and is the major financier of terror."