European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana arrived here on Sunday evening for talks with Egyptian officials on means of ending the current conflicts between Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip.
Solana, who has said the EU has the interest to participate in a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East, called on both sides of the conflicts in Gaza to reach an immediate ceasefire, the Egyptian MENA news agency reported.
After his stop in Egypt, Solana will also pay a visit to Israel, the Palestinian territories and Jordan, said MENA.
Earlier in the day, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit held talks with a visiting delegation of the EU's top diplomats on the Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Solana was reportedly to join the EU delegation, which includes Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and EU Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, in a bid to promote a ceasefire in Gaza.
On Sunday, Israel intensified strikes on Gaza for the ninth consecutive day, a day after its army carried out a large-scale ground operation into the enclave, leaving 514 people killed and some 2,600 injured since Dec. 27.