Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday congratulated Pervez Musharraf on his yet unofficial reelection as president of Pakistan, a country with which Israel has no relations. "Although we do not have formal relations, I would like to convey my best wishes on your election as president of Pakistan for a second term," Peres wrote in a letter made public on Monday.
"You have shown responsibility and strength in preventing the spread of violence and terrorism on many occasions and I carry in my heart your support for peace in the Middle East which I heard directly from you."
Israel and Pakistan, the world's second-most populous Muslim country, have no official relations. However, Musharraf and the now coma-stricken former Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon shook hands on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September 2005. Two weeks earlier, the foreign ministers from the two countries had met in the first such high-level encounter which aimed to help normalise relations.