Athens - The Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Costas Simitis, and the Prime Minister of Turkey, Mr Mesut Yilmaz, will meet on the sidelines of a Balkans summit next week in a bid to diffuse tensions heightened by escalating tit-for-tat military exercises in the Aegean.
The seven-nation summit on the island of Crete on Monday and Tuesday will be held as both countries press on with exercises off Cyprus despite repeated pleas from the US to end such exercises.
The Greek military said yesterday manoeuvres had begun and would continue until next Thursday in the Aegean Sea off Cyprus and in its Evros mainland region near the Turkish border. Ankara said it will go ahead with its exercises planned for next week.