Cairo- Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak received Monday a cluster of European Union (EU) envoys Monday as diplomatic efforts got underway towards forging a ceasefire deal for the Gaza Strip.

The EU group, meeting Mubarak in the resort of Sharm El-Sheik, includes French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, EU Foreign Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU top diplomat Javier Solana as well as the Foreign Ministers for Sweden and the Czech Republic, Carl Bildt and Karel Schwarzenberg.

The delegation was due to travel on to Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman. Prior to the trip, Schwarzenberg had received heavy Arab criticism for calling the Israeli ground offensive an act of "self- defence," a statement his government subsequently played down.

Parallel to the EU delegation visit, French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also due to arrive in the region, with the Paris leader stressing the special role of his country in the Mideast.

"France, having managed to establish a bond of confidence and friendship with all concerned parties, holds a particular responsibility: that of taking all risks to help find a solution," Sarkozy said in an interview with three Lebanese newspapers, published on Monday at the start of his trip to the Middle East.

Sarkozy couldn't say whether his efforts to end the Israeli attacks in the Gaza strip and the Hamas rocket attacks on Israel would be successful. "All I know is that whoever doesn't take the risk of failure also denies themselves the chance of success," he continued.

In view of the indirect criticism by some EU partners at his attempt to go it alone, he said, "Frankly, who could reproach me for trying everything to put an end to so much suffering?" (dpa)