Washington, Jumada Al-Awwal 02, 1432, April 06, 2011, SPA -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Tuesday urged a peaceful and speedy solution to peace in the Middle East. Speaking to reporters in the White House briefing room following a meeting between himself and visiting Israeli President Shimon Peres, Obama said "We had an extensive discussion about what's happened in the Middle East. I think he and I both share a belief that this is both a challenge and an opportunity, that with the winds of change blowing through the Arab world, it's more urgent than ever to try to seize the opportunity to create a peaceful solution between the Palestinians and the Israelis. And he had some very interesting ideas around those issues," Obama said to reporters following the private meeting and lunch between him and Peres. The U.S. President said he discussed with Peres political and economic developments in Egypt. "We have explored some ideas about how we can provide some help to Egypt," he added. --SPA 11:08 LOCAL TIME 08:08 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/880956