Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Doha, Qatar on December 19 on a two-day visit aimed at tackling the latest developments in the Mideast peace process and the Gulf situation.

Mubarak, who had just concluded his visit to Saudi Arabia and will end his three-nation Gulf tour in Bahrain, will discuss with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa al-Thani the outcome of the latest round of Syrian-Israeli talks.

Syria and Israel resumed the peace talks in Washington Wednesday after a break of nearly four years. Officials from the two countries were trying to work out a framework for talks on Israel's pullback from the Golan Heights, security arrangements and other issues.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa, who headed their countries' delegations at the Washington meeting, have agreed to continue talks in the US early next January.

According reports reaching here, Sheikh Hamad and Mubarak are also likely to touch upon the developments on other tracks in the Arab-Israeli peace process.

In addition to the Middle East peace, the two leaders are also expected to discuss the future situation in the Gulf, especially after the adoption of a new UN resolution.

The UN Security Council passed on Friday resolution 1284, which calls for Iraq's cooperation in allowing the return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq in return for a possible suspension of the nearly nine-year UN sanctions on Iraq. Iraq has refused to accept the new resolution.

The UN weapons inspections were disrupted last December after massive US-British air strikes against Iraqi targets.