Bush arrives in Egypt for Mideast talks

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, May 17 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush arrived in an Egypt Saturday for talks with Arab leaders, including Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Also attending the talks at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, were Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. On the agenda for discussion were Bush's hopes for a peace deal between Palestinians and Israelis, the BBC reported.

Bush was likely to spend his time in Egypt trying to square his unwavering support for Israel with more strategic aims of building longer-term ties with Arab nations, the British network reported. Bush's visit was not expected to produce any diplomatic breakthroughs, the BBC said.

Bush was to first meet with Mubarak at a hotel overlooking the Red Sea, then was to move to discussions Karzai and Abbas.