TURKEY CALLS FOR DIALOGUE TO SOLVE DISPUTE
  Turkey said today its disputes with
  Greece, including rights on the continental shelf in the Aegean
  Sea, should be solved through negotiations.
      A Foreign Ministry statement said the latest crisis between
  the two NATO members stemmed from the continental shelf dispute
  and an agreement on this issue would effect the security,
  economy and other rights of both countries.
      "As the issue is basicly political, a solution can only be
  found by bilateral negotiations," the statement said. Greece has
  repeatedly said the issue was legal and could be solved at the
  International Court of Justice.
      The two countries approached armed confrontation last month
  after Greece announced it planned oil exploration work in the
  Aegean and Turkey said it would also search for oil.
      A face-off was averted when Turkey confined its research to
  territorrial waters. "The latest crises created an historic
  opportunity to solve the disputes between the two countries,"
  the Foreign Ministry statement said.
      Turkey's ambassador in Athens, Nazmi Akiman, was due to
  meet Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou today for the Greek
  reply to a message sent last week by Turkish Prime Minister
  Turgut Ozal. The contents of the message were not disclosed.
  

