Gaza summit kicks off in Egypt

SHARM EL-SHEIKH: An international summit of European and Arab leaders aimed at shoring up a truce in the Gaza Strip began in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday.

Leaders from Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Turkey are represented at the meeting which is being held on the same day Israel initiated a unilateral ceasefire and Hamas offered their own one-week truce in the beleaguered territory.

The talks, hosted by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and co-chaired by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, will also be attended by UN chief Ban Ki-moon.