Abbas postpones Europe trip, flies to Cairo for 'urgent' talks

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has postponed an official visit to Europe and is flying instead to Cairo to deal with 'urgent developments,' the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Saturday.

Palestinian envoy to Egypt Nabil Amr said Abbas is scheduled to meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Monday morning to discuss Egyptian attempts to consolidate the Gaza truce and to bring the rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, together.

Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said a new date would be scheduled for the president's visit to the Czech Republic, the current holder of the European Union's rotating presidency.

Abu Rudeina said that Abbas planned to request a greater role from Europe in efforts toward a comprehensive Mideast peace agreement.

On Friday Egyptian security forces arrested two armed Palestinians who emerged from an underground tunnel close to the border with the Gaza Strip. According to Egyptian authorities, a search was underway for seven other Palestinians believed to have entered Egypt from Gaza.