Turkish fighter planes have begun flying over Cyprus armed with live ammunition for the first time in 10 months because of tension with Greece, according to reports in the Turkish press. An official at Turkish military headquarters said he was unaware of a change in flight rules. "I have no knowledge of that," the official said.
But the Sabah daily said Turkish F-16 jets had broken an agreement made with Washington last year not to fly armed over the island, in retaliation for Greek participation in joint Cypriot-Greek military manoeuvres on Cyprus.
Turkish planes in the eastern Mediterranean have been flying armed with "defence systems as well as rockets with warheads" since the weekend, Sabah said, citing unnamed military sources. Other dailies, including Sabah's rival Hurriyet, carried the same report.
A Turkish cabinet minister blamed Athens for stoking tension and said an accident could spark fighting. "A very dangerous game is being played by the other side. They are playing with fire," the State Minister for Cyprus, Mr Sukru Sina Gurel, said.
"When the tension rises and military shows are being carried out . . . there is the possibility an accident may occur which can lead to a clash," said Mr Gurel.
Athens says Turkish jets have massively violated Greek airspace in recent days and harassed a military plane taking the Defence Minister, Mr Akis Tsohatzopoulos, to Cyprus.
Turkey denies the charges. "Our planes fly totally in Turkish and international airspace," the military official said.
The Greek government spokesman, Mr Dimitris Reppas, said Greece would protest to Turkey over alleged airspace violations, including the buzzing of the Defence Minister's plane.
"The Greek ambassador will go to the Turkish foreign ministry in Ankara to lodge a protest," Mr Reppas said. Greece will also call in the ambassadors of the EU member states in Athens and the acting US ambassador to brief them on what it says are scores of air space violations by Turkish jets since Sunday.
"The density and intensity of the violations show that it was a political choice," Mr Reppas said. "It shows [Turkey] has not chosen the road of co-operation with Greece."