Israel and Egypt�s new military rulers have made initial contact and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed their pledge to stand by Cairo�s peace treaty with the Jewish state.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak and Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of Egypt�s Higher Military Council, spoke by telephone on Saturday, a ministry spokeswoman said, declining to give further details.

In remarks to reporters that echoed a written statement issued on Saturday, Netanyahu voiced satisfaction that Egypt�s military leadership had announced it would respect all the country�s international treaties.

�The peace agreement was kept by Egypt throughout the years … it is the cornerstone of peace and stability, not only for the two countries, but for the whole region as well,� Netanyahu said at the start of a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem.

In 1979 Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, which watched warily throughout the weeks of protests that brought down President Hosni Mubarak on Friday.

(Read More: Reuters)