Egypt's Morsi makes peace pledge to Peres

Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, has written to his Israeli counterpart Shimon Peres pledging to help revive Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, the Israeli leader's office said on Tuesday. "I am looking forward to exerting our best efforts to get the Middle East peace process back to its right track in order to achieve security and stability for all peoples of the region, including the Israeli people," it quoted Morsi as writing. Peres, a Nobel peace laureate, sent Morsi a letter of congratulation following his election last month as the candidate of the Muslim Brotherhood movement. In that message he expressed hope "for continued cooperation with you, based upon the peace accords signed between us more than three decades ago and which we are committed to preserve and develop for future generations of both our people." Peres sent him a second letter of greeting at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan last weekend, his office said. "It was with deep thanks that I received your congratulations on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan," the statement quoted Morsi's return message as saying. Israel has watched warily as the Muslim Brotherhood gained increasing power in post-uprising Egypt, concerned about the future of the cold but key peace the two neighbours have maintained since signing their 1979 treaty.