UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on yesterday evening arrived in the Egyptian capital on a two-day visit to Egypt, the second leg of his Mideast regional tour after an unannounced visit to Iraq.

Ban is expected to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, Egypt's official news agency MENA said.

The talks will take up regional developments, especially the stalled Middle East peace process and the situation in Iraq, Lebanon and Sudan's Darfur, said MENA.

Ban's visit to Egypt is his first since he took over from former UN chief Kofi Annan in January this year.

The visit is part of Ban's regional tour which will also take him to the Palestinian territories, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon. Ban will address the upcoming Arab summit, slated for March 28-29 in Riyadh, according to MENA.