CAIRO, Egypt — Actor George Clooney is lobbying for Egypt's help in getting protection for victims of Darfur's increasing violence.The Oscar-winning actor met with Gamal and Suzanne Mubarak — the powerful son and wife of Egypt's president — and with Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit in his campaign to bring relief to the war-torn region of western Sudan.

Clooney said he was focusing on trying to find some way to at least ensure protection for those who have been displaced in the fighting.

"We are still talking about all the problems in Darfur right now," Clooney said. "We are hoping to just constantly keep the conversation going on humanitarian issues, that's our big goal, trying to stay out of the political arena and just trying to find humanitarian issues."

Aboul Gheit explained to Clooney the Egyptian view of "the intertwined nature of the political, social and economic situation in Darfur." He explained that "a reason for the deteriorating security situation was that some rebel groups are still outside the peace agreement signed in Abuja in May", a Foreign Ministry statement said.

The foreign minister expressed his appreciation for "the noble aims of the Darfur campaign and Clooney's efforts", the statement added.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir "will find that we are not trying to invade Sudan", Clooney told students during a talk at Cairo's American University.

Egypt has been trying to mediate with its southern neighbour Sudan over resolving the crisis in Darfur, where more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million driven from their homes by three years of fighting.