BY MEHMET ALTAN
STAR- What did we do yesterday? We followed developments and anxiously hoped the day would go by without any injuries or troubles. May 1, which has become something like a folk celebration in developed countries, here still evokes the four horsemen of the apocalypse. There are still many things which embarrass us.
Besides the tension over May 1, I followed another issue, that is, the Middle East Quartet. It was founded in order to find a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli issue, and its activities increased after Hamas was elected to power in Palestine. For example, two years ago, the quartet agreed to send direct temporary financial aid to the nation in order to alleviate its financial crisis.
Last year, after Hamas secured the Gaza Strip, the quartet decided during a meeting held at the US Embassy in western Jerusalem that Tony Blair would be its new high-level mediator with the region.
Yesterday, when we were experiencing the discomfort of May 1 here, it was reported the quartet would meet in London. Reportedly, the US secretary of state will hold meetings with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on this opportunity. It seems there will be new developments in the Middle East.
In London, besides the quartet, the meeting of Contact Committee for Helping Palestinians will also be held. This is another organization founded after the 1993 Oslo accords, through Norway's initiative. It has both full and associate members. Among the former are the US, EU, Norway and the World Bank. Until recently we have been neither a full nor an associate member, but we were invited to the London meeting. Foreign Minister Ali Babacan will attend, and I will be there too.
Given both the quartet and the committee meeting, we can see that for a few days developments in London will be key for the Mideast. While traveling with Babacan, I hope to ask him about the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Sunnis and Shiites, and Turkey's position in the Middle East.