Sudanese President Omar El-Bashir arrived here Thursday morning on a short visit to Egypt, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.

Mubarak is expected to meet later in the day with El-Bashir to discuss bi lateral ties, Sudan's peace process and other issues of common concern. The Sudanese president was received at the Cairo International Airport by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazef and Sudanese Ambassador to Egypt Ahmed Abdul-Halim.

El-Bashir's visit to Egypt came at a time when the Sudanese government is expected to hold talks with the Sudan Liberation Movement and the Movement for Justice and Equality, two main rebel group in the western region of Darfur, in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Thursday. The talks will be held under the auspices of the African Union.

The rebel groups took up arms against the government in February last year due to what they claimed that their region was neglected by the successive Sudanese governments.

The Sudanese government has been under mounting pressure to end the conflict in Darfur, which has left about 10,000 people dead.

Sourcve: Xinhua