United Nations (U.N.) Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will chair the Middle East Quartet meeting in London on Friday, his spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Ban will also partake in an “expanded meeting” with Arab foreign ministers followed by a meeting with the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Palestinian Authority, Ban's spokeswoman Marie Okabe said. “The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee, a Norwegian initiative, was established in 1992 to ensure the efficient use of development assistance in support of the peace process and to contribute to the development of Palestinian society,” Okabe said. Aside from Ban's meeting, Okabe also mentioned that the sense of urgency with the fuel situation in the Gaza Strip is escalating. She said that if more fuel is not received in Gaza by Friday, the power plant in the region would be forced to shut down this weekend. She added that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is in need of fuel. “Passenger vehicles are effectively grounded, and vehicles that run on diesel and are used for food distributions will be grounded again next week if supplies are not forthcoming,” Okabe said.
