The Turkish F16 planes, which were apparently taking part in military exercises, were on a collision course with an Olympic Airways plane travelling from Athens to Istanbul with 70 passengers on board, airline and air force sources said.

"The multiplication of violations, their provocative nature... and the insistence of Turkish pilots to engage in dogfights with Greek pilots obviously pose a grave danger for security in the region," said Greek Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou.

Government spokesman Christos Protopapas accused the Turkish military of "deliberate provocation" over the incident and said Athens will formally complain to Turkey as well as to the European Union, NATO and the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

Air force spokesman Constantine Prionas said the Boeing 717's anti-collision warning system was activated in the incident, adding that the plane later landed safely in Istanbul.

"Last week other passenger aircraft were also harassed... the Turkish military's action puts the security of flights in danger," said foreign ministry spokesman Panos Beglitis.

Greece and Turkey have long been at loggerheads over air control and airspace in the Aegean, accusing each other of violations, and dogfights between Greek and Turkish fighter planes are a frequent occurrence.

Greece claims a 10-mile (16-kilometer) airspace limit around its coastline but Turkey only recognizes six miles, arguing that under international rules Greece's airspace should be the same as its territorial waters.

Beglitis said Greece registered 145 violations of its airspace by Turkish warplanes on Friday alone.

"The Turkish military's behaviour is in full contradiction to the Turkish government's objective to approach the EU," Beglitis said.

"There is a continuous arm-wrestling (between civilian and military authorities) in Turkey... part of the Turkish military establishment wants to impose its own agenda," Beglitis told private radio station Flash.

Turkey is a candidate for EU membership but the EU has not yet set a date for accession talks to begin, saying it wants to see more progress on human rights and reforms.

The EU has said it will assess Turkey's position in December 2004.

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