Mubarak, Abbas talk Palestinian reconciliation in Cairo

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Thursday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

The two reportedly discussed the Arab-Israeli peace process in light of the new Israeli government, the current state of negotiations aimed at forming a Palestinian "national unity" government, and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip following Israel's offensive there in December and January.

Egyptian intelligence officials have been brokering talks between rival Palestinian factions, notably Abbas' Fatah faction, which controls the West Bank, and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, for months.

On Tuesday, Abbas sent envoys to Gaza for the first time since Hamas took power there two years ago, after a third round of Egyptian-brokered talks ended last week without an agreement.