CAIRO, July 8 (Xinhuanet) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday had a phone talk with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat over the volatile Mideast situation, the official MENA news agency reported.

    During the phone conversation, the two leaders discussed the latest developments in the Palestinian territories and Egypt's efforts to give momentum to the stalled Mideast peace process and halt violence, MENA said, without elaborating.

    The Mubarak-Arafat phone conversation came when Egypt has refused to send experts to the Gaza Strip following a planned Israeli withdrawal from the territory due to Israel's continued aggression.

    Speaking to reporters at the end of a visit to Egypt on Wednesday, Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said Egypt held that it was unable to send security experts to Gaza at a time when Israel was still pursuing the policy of killing against the Palestinians.

    He said that Israel's stubbornness was the main reason behind the Egyptian move, saying that Egypt does not want to expose its officials to danger or see any Israeli fire on the Palestinians.

    Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to evacuate all 21 Jewish settlements from the Gaza Strip and four other isolated enclaves in the northern West Bank by the end of next year and withdraw troops.

    Fearing that post-pullback vacuum could lead to chaos in the Gaza Strip, Egypt has offered to send 150 to 200 officers and security experts on a six-month mission to help train a 30,000-strong Palestinian security force.

    It has also voiced its willingness to increase the number of its troops on the border with the Palestinian territory. Enditem