ANKARA - Turkey called Thursday on the Palestinians and Israel to take steps to avoid a "deep crisis" in the Middle East a day after Israeli troops stormed into Gaza to release an abducted soldier.
"In order to ensure that the current tension is resolved before it turns into a deep crisis, we expect the kidnapped soldier to be immediately returned to Israel and the Israeli army to end its Gaza operation which has damaged Palestinian infrastructure and endangered civilian lives," the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.
The statement warned that the tension only served the interests of those "who do not want comprehensive and lasting peace in the region".
"We expect the two sides to act calmly and with common sense, and to avoid acts that would fan violence," it added.
Turkey has been the main regional ally of Israel since 1996 when the two sides signed a military deal, but it also enjoys close ties withe the Palestinians.
06/29/2006 06:39 GMT