Turkey tests troubled waters of Middle East

A two-day visit by Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül to the region underlined Ankara’s readiness to take part in efforts to resolve one of the world’s deepest-running conflicts and heralded a new Turkish initiative, but officials and analysts cautioned against overly ambitious expectations.

“There are things we can do as a friend of both sides,” said a Turkish official close to the minister’s talks in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. “But this is a process, and success in such processes depend on many variables.”

What is in question is a variety of concrete steps such as helping restructuring in the Gaza Strip after completion of Israel’s planned withdrawal, through economic aid and perhaps by dispatching peacekeeping troops.