The Battle of Heliopolis was a French victory by the armée d'Orient under General Kléber over the Ottoman army at Helipolis on 20 March 1800. Kléber engaged in negotiations with both the English and Ottomans, with the aim of honourably evacuating the remains of the French force from Egypt to take part in operations in Europe. An accord (the convention of El Arich) was concluded on 23 January 1800 allowing such a return to France, but it proved impossible to apply due to internal dissensions among the English and the dithering of the Sultan, and so the conflict in Egypt restarted.