EU foreign policy chief in Cairo for peace talks with Mubarak

Sep 2, 2009, 10:34 GMT

Cairo - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana met with Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak on Wednesday to discuss getting the Middle East peace process going again.

The talks centered on moves before the new session of the General Assembly of the United Nations convenes, Solana told reporters after his meeting with Mubarak.

'We must all coordinate and work in a collaborative way as much as possible. I do not want to say whether I'm optimistic or pessimistic about the chances of success in achieving the desired progress at this time,' said Solana.

'What is important now is to mobilize all our efforts to reach a successful initiative with the United States before the General Assembly session,' he added.

Mubarak and Solana also discussed Egypt's role in reconciliation talks between Palestinian factions.

Solana arrived in Egypt late Tuesday and met with the Secretary- General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit

Solana's visit to Cairo is the last stop in a four-day tour of the region, which included Syria, Israel, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon.