Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday to congratulate him on the new political path he has chosen, sources at the prime minister's office reported.
Mubarak said he is convinced Sharon will be able to accomplish his ideas in the new path he has taken, and added that he intends to continue cooperating closely with the prime minister, whom he referred to as "my dear friend," in a bid to promote peace in the region.
The prime minister thanked the president for his warm words, and added that he wishes to advance the peace process, as well as economic and security issues in his next term in office.
Sharon shared with Mubarak his sentiments that led to the decision to leave the Likud, and revealed that he had reached this conclusion once he realized he will not be able to carry out his vision had he stayed in the party.
"This was not an easy decision for me to make, but I decided to found a new party, and I am certain we will keep working together as we have in the past," Sharon said.
The Egyptian president, who initially turned a cold shoulder to Sharon after he was first elected to office and who refrained from officially inviting him to visit Egypt, dramatically changed his attitude toward his counterpart following the disengagement.
Mubarak has often praised Sharon for the decision.
Cooperation between the two leaders tightened after Israeli citizen Azzam Azzam, who was held prisoner in Egypt, was released. The two have made it a custom to converse on the phone once a month ever since.
Throughout recent months the collaboration between Israel and Egypt has moved a step up, with the Arab neighbor actively taking part in negotiations over an agreement for the border crossings and in conflict in Gaza.
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