The new US ambassador to the UN, Mr Richard Holbrooke, arrived in Athens yesterday for talks with Greek leaders at the start of a week-long tour of the region. Mr Holbrooke is being accompanied by the US special co-ordinator on Cyprus, Mr Thomas Miller.
The visit takes place at a time of heightened tension between Greece and Turkey over the divided island of Cyprus. An authoritative Greek source said Greek officials would "make no proposals but would listen" to US views on the issue.
"We would particularly like to know whether Mr Holbrooke is bringing new proposals to reduce Greek-Turkish tensions and whether he will continue his mediation mission [undertaken before his appointment as UN ambassador] on Cyprus," the source said.
Mr Holbrooke had a working dinner last night with the Greek Foreign Minister, Mr Theodore Pangalos, and his Secretary of State, Mr Yannos Kranidiotis.
Mr Holbrooke and Mr Miller are expected to leave Athens today for a visit "in the Balkans", according to the US embassy in Athens. The embassy gave no details of the visit but said there were currently no plans for a trip to Turkey.
In Nicosia, military sources said a Turkish frigate, a destroyer and two submarines left northern Cyprus yesterday as part of manoeuvres. The four vessels left the eastern port of Famagusta following Sunday's departure of three Turkish assault craft and two other submarines from Kyrenia in northern Cyprus.
The ships arrived in Cyprus last Wednesday, a day before six Turkish F-16 warplanes flew into the breakaway northern Cypriot state, adding to the tension.
The Turkish move, unrelated to naval exercises, was in retaliation for a visit by Greek F-16s and transport planes to the southern Greek Cypriot air base of Paphos earlier last week.
Turkey's manoeuvres, taking place in the Aegean and Mediterranean seas, are set to end on Friday.