What sort of a role in the Mideast?

BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- When Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul started to tour the Middle East, everybody said that Turkey was ready to assume an active role to promote peace in the region. Gul will bring this message to Palestinian leaders and try to gauge their willingness. What sort of a role will it be? Certain officials said that Ankara didn’t want believe a ‘facilitating’ role of delivering messages from one capital to another to be sufficient, and so it wanted to assume the mission of a ‘mediator.’ Involved parties – Israel, Palestine and Syria – want Turkey to help them reach a deal, which is an important development.
Turkish officials believe that a green light was given for this following Gul’s recent meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Foreign Ministry consultant Davut Ahmetoglu told me on the phone yesterday that there was ripe ground for more active Turkish intervention and that this had encouraged the Turkish side. So what will Turkish diplomacy do from now on? ‘Turkey will continue consultations with parties,’ he replied. This process requires patience. However, we should take advantage of the ripe conditions without tarrying. It seems Turkey will show its presence on the Middle East scene even if it doesn’t act as an official mediator in the coming weeks and months. What sort of a role will it be? Firstly, Turkey will act as a mediator in the exchange of messages and views between the parties. Gul’s contacts showed that the parties are insisting on the fulfillment of certain conditions before any negotiations are started. For example, Israel wants the violence to end. Syria stipulates that Hizbullah and Islamic Jihad will close their offices, and Palestine wants Hamas and other organizations to stop attacks. However, how will this vicious circle be broken? How can Syria meet Israel’s demands? How can Palestine control Hamas and similar organizations? How can Israel give up its ‘an eye for an eye’ policy? New solutions can always be found in diplomacy. Turkey is now determined to play such a role. Turkey is better positioned than other great actors who want to play a role in the Middle East – the US, the EU and the Quartet consisting of the US, the UN, the EU and Russia. Indeed, Gul’s contacts show that Turkey is optimistic about this issue and that it has confidence.