The travel budget of President Shimon Peres is larger than that of any previous president of Israel, according to the Times of London, and his publicity-shy wife has said he lives "in a golden cage." He now is visiting Italy, where he is meeting with international business and political leaders.

He told the Times that he has warned Prime Minister Ehud Olmert against a military strike on Iran, claiming that the "military way will not solve the problem." The 85-year-old president, who never served in combat, also criticized American policy for relying too much on military force.

He also said that he recently told Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that "religion is the opium of leaders" such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.