Jerusalem, Sept 15: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon shook hands with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf today after encountering him in the corridors of UN headquarters, Israeli television reported.
The report, which follows the first official contact between the two countries two weeks ago, said Musharraf introduced his wife to Sharon during what it described as a cordial encounter.
The two men were among leaders from more than 170 countries gathered under tight security for a three-day summit to thrash out the future of the United Nations as it marked its 60th anniversary.
Israel and Pakistan do not have diplomatic relations but their foreign ministers met in Istanbul on September 1 in the first official contact between the Jewish state and Islamic Republic.
Pakistan has stressed that it will not officially recognise Israel until the Palestinians get their own independent state.
But Musharraf played down the significance of the handshake.
"I was standing and he came in a group and shook hands with me ... He asked me how I was, I asked him how he was. That's very good," Musharraf told reporters with a smile, after initially evading questions about the meeting.
The Pakistani leader said last week he did not plan to meet Sharon at the three-day UN gathering despite praising the Israeli Premier as "courageous" for ordering the withdrawal of Jewish settlements from Gaza.
Bureau Report
