BY SAMI KOHEN
MILLIYET- The timing could never be better. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Turkey coincided with a time when hopeful messages came from the Middle East concerning peace. In addition, Ankara hosted Israeli Chief of General Staff Gen. Moshe Yaalon at the same time. These two visits are important due to their contribution to Turkey’s bilateral relations with Palestine and Israel and Ankara’s possible contribution to the peace in the Middle East. When Abbas became the president, a new period entered in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Frozen contacts were reestablished between the two parties, measures and new steps started to be taken for the end of violence and in favor of the peace process. Abbas showed his determination for the end of violence and tried to convince such groups as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. At least, now there is an actual cease-fire for now. Another important step taken by Abbas is that he charged Palestinian security forces with the task of ensuring security in the Gaza region. In addition, the Israeli government announced its decision to discharge the settlements in Gaza and withdraw from five centers in the West Sheria.
When these steps are being taken, the statement made concerning Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s initiative gave the good news of a serious beginning in the peace process. As a result of the silent diplomacy carried out by Egypt recently, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet in Sharm al-Sheikh in Egypt next Tuesday. Even this is a historic development. If both sides can agree on an official cease-fire and common security measures during this summit and reach a consensus on starting a peace process in which basic principles will be discussed, this would be a great success. Obviously, it won’t be easy for leaders to reach an agreement on such problems as security, cease-fire, etc. Both sides will face the opposition and resistance of their own militants and need domestic and foreign support. Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul promised this support during his visit to the region last month and this was repeated during the visits paid by Abbas and Gen. Yaalon to Ankara.