CAIRO, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak held talks on Monday with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on ways to revive the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and Palestinian reconciliation, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

    The two leaders met at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and discussed Egypt's efforts to halt settlement activities and lift the blockade on the Palestinian people, the report said.

    They also discussed Egypt's efforts with the U.S. administration to push forward the peace drive and broker reconciliation between Palestinian factions, according to the report.

    Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and intelligence chief Omar Suleiman will visit Washington on Jan. 8 to convey Egypt's vision on the future peace efforts, said the report.

    Abbas arrived in Cairo on Sunday night and has held talks with Suleiman. He will later travel to Qatar, Kuwait and Turkey.

    Since February 2009, Egypt has brokered several rounds of the reconciliation talks in Cairo between rival Fatah and Hamas to iron out their rifts, which have yielded little tangible results.    

Special Report: Palestine-Israel Conflicts