Cairo - European foreign policy chief Javier Solana met Thursday Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit ahead of a major donor conference on the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip next week, Egyptian State news agency MENA reported.

Solana described the Gaza reconstruction meeting as "very important" from an economic and humanitarian perspective, saying that it would encourage donor countries to commit to the rebuilding of Gaza in the wake of the 22-day Israeli offensive which began on December 27.

Solana, who arrived in Cairo on Wednesday night, is to meet Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak and other leading officials on Thursday.

Solana is expected in Israel later on Thursday, and was to spend Friday and Saturday in the Palestinian territories, before attending the March 2 conference in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. (dpa)