Egypt Calls on Argentina to Rally for Gaza Peace

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi called on his Argentine counterpart Cristina Kirchner to rally other Latin American leaders in support of stopping the violence in Gaza, Argentina said Saturday.

"The president of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mohammed Morsi, contacted President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, to ask for her intervention, and through her the leaders of the region and the world, for an end of violence between Israel and the Palestinian faction Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip," the government said in a statement on its website.

The statement said the two leaders connected on Friday.

In the conversation, Morsi said the rising civilian toll had "elevated the situation to a state of danger not seen in recent years."

Kirchner expressed "solidarity with all the victims and pledged to work with regional leaders in urging warring parties to cease violence," the statement added.

She also expressed support for the Palestinians' controversial bid to secure upgraded membership at the United Nations later this month, a move strongly opposed by Israel and the United States.

An important regional trading bloc, Mercosur, of which Argentina is a member, issued a joint statement earlier Saturday condemning the "disproportionate use of force" in Gaza, calling on both sides to immediately halt the violence.