Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak started talks with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday.

The Mubarak-Olmert summit is the first of its kind since Olmert became Israeli prime minister on May 4.

Talks between Mubarak and Olmert are expected to focus on revival of the stalled Middle East peace process, a future three- day summit that will also involve Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Olmert's controversial convergence plan.

The two leaders discussed issues related the Middle East peace process and efforts exerted to resume negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.

Olmert briefed Mubarak on the outcome of his recent visit to the United States and his meetings with U.S. officials, MENA said.

They also discussed efforts exerted by the Quartet committee to resume talks and achieve peace between the Palestinians and Israel, according to MENA.

The international Quartet, which groups the EU, the U.S., the United Nations and Russia, has been a long-time mediator over the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Olmert, before his departure for Sharm el-Sheikh at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, said that he would work to strengthen ties with Mubarak, whom he called the "most important Arab leader in the region."

Israeli media said that Olmert would present his convergence plan to Mubarak for the first time during the meeting and try to win Mubarak's understanding or even support for the unilateral withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, should negotiations fail.

"We shall act independently, but not alone. We shall try to create the momentum of a process even if the other side is not Palestinian," said Olmert, cited by the Israeli best-selling Yedioth Aharonoth.

Olmert vows to draw Israel's final borders with the Palestinians by 2010 by evacuating isolated settlements in the West Bank while keeping major ones with or without peace talks with the Palestinian side.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit said on Saturday that Egypt was concerned with Olmert's convergence plan, which was opposed by the Palestinians.

Egypt would welcome Israel's withdrawal from the West Bank, but such a withdrawal should be carried out after negotiations with the Palestinians, Abul Gheit told an Egyptian television.

The summit came in the shadow of Friday morning's firefight at the Egyptian-Israeli border in northern Sinai between Israeli border guards and Egyptian policemen, during which two Egyptian policemen were shot dead by Israeli forces.

The Egyptian security authorities said in an early investigation that the two policemen were killed by Israeli border guards on the Egyptian side of the borders and their bodies were then dragged to Israeli side by Israeli soldiers to cover up the action, according to MENA.

The Israeli side, however, reported that three Egyptian border policemen had crossed the border and conducted a fire exchange with Israeli border guards, during which two Egyptian policemen were killed while a third one fled back to Egypt.

Source: Xinhua