Cairo - French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh Monday for talks with his Egyptian counterpart Hosny Mubarak, as part of a two-day tour to the region in the face of continuing violence in the Gaza Strip.

Talks between the two presidents were to include ways to restore peace in the Strip and mediate between Hamas and Israel, the Egyptian Middle East News Agency
(MENA) said.

Sarkozy's tour in the region comes as the Israeli military penetrates deeper into the Gaza Strip after a 10-day conflict between Israel and the radical Islamist movement Hamas.

Sarkozy's visit will cover Israel, the West bank, Lebanon and Syria. Last week Sarkozy initiated a two-day ceasefire proposal, which was refused by Israeli government.

After meeting Mubarak the French President will head to Jerusalem to meet Israeli President Ehud Olmert then go to the West Bank to meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The French president's diplomatic trip comes in parallel with an EU delegation, which only a few hours earlier had also met with Mubarak in Sharm el-Sheikh and then left Egypt for Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Sarkozy is travelling to the region in his capacity as co- president, with Egypt, of the Union for the Mediterranean.

"France, having managed to establish a bond of confidence and friendship with all concerned parties, holds a particular responsibility: that of taking all risks to help find a solution," Sarkozy said in an interview with three Lebanese newspapers, published on Monday at the start of his trip to the Middle East.

Sarkozy couldn't say whether his efforts to end the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel would be successful.

"All I know is that whoever doesn't take the risk of failure also denies themselves the chance of success," he continued.

In view of the indirect criticism by some EU partners at his attempt to go it alone, he said, "Frankly, who could reproach me for trying everything to put an end to so much suffering?" (dpa)