The meeting of foreign ministers was, in a way, the opening ceremony of an initiative that is intriguing diplomats
Middle East crisis – live updates
The meeting on Sunday of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey in Islamabad not only represented the best hope for a ceasefire in Iran but was also the embryo for a new order designed to curb Israeli and Iranian dominance after the war.
Although the four nations have met as a quartet before, the one-day meeting of foreign ministers in Islamabad on Sunday was, in a way, the official opening ceremony of an initiative that is intriguing diplomats.
The group’s first goal, in an increasingly complex web of disputes, is to persuade all sides to stop the escalation and agree a ceasefire. As such, the group will be meeting much more frequently, according to Yasmine Farouk, a Gulf specialist at the International Crisis Group.
