Tense situation around Kastelorizo (Istanbul Hurriyet)

Istanbul Hurriyet Daily News.com 15 Nov 08

Report: "Greek-Turkish Navy Standoff Over Norwegian Survey Ship Ends-Official"

A standoff between a Greek and a Turkish navy ship in the Aegean over a Turkish-sponsored oil prospecting survey ended on Saturday after the operation was called off, Greek officials said.

A Norwegian survey ship commissioned by the Turkish government to conduct the search was departing after Greek officials complained to Norwegian and Turkish authorities, the Greek foreign ministry said.

"Under the international convention on the law of the sea, a large part of this area includes a continental shelf (seabed) belonging to Greece," foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos said in a statement.

The Norwegian ship, the Malene Ostervold, on Friday began prospecting for oil in the southeastern Aegean near the Greek island of Kastellorizo, escorted by the Turkish frigate Gediz, Koumoutsakos said.

A standoff ensued when a Greek gunboat was dispatched in the area to impress "that this sort of research requires permission from Greek authorities," the Greek general staff said.
The Malene Ostervold departed shortly after midnight after the Norwegian ambassador had been summoned by the Greek foreign ministry, but returned early on Saturday morning, the general staff said.

The incident ended after Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis called her Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store, Koumoutsakos said.