Moscow - Israeli President Shimon Peres on Tuesday slammed the denial of the Holocaust by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a disgrace for the entire Iranian people.

Speaking on a visit with Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in the Russian Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Peres said that although Ahmadinejad had on several occasions denied the mass murder of European Jews by the Nazis, the Israeli leader had hopes for peace between Israel and Iran.

According to the Itar-Tass news agency, Peres also renewed his criticism of Iran's nuclear programme and accused Tehran's leadership of destabilizing the entire Middle East.

"It is not we who are threatening Iran," he said, "but Iran that is threatening the region."

The international community has expressed concern that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran denies.

For his part, Medvedev said that Russia believed Israel was striving for "peaceful and stable relations with all of its neighbours." In order to reach this goal, he added, "great efforts" were needed.

Medvedev, whose country has been planning a Mideast conference with representatives of all sides in Moscow, called for cooperation among all parties, adding that they should "avoid confrontation and strike calmer tones."

No date has been set for the proposal Moscow conference.(dpa)