On 25 December 1995, a Turkish coaster named Figen Akat runaground on one of the hitherto unnoticed rocks in the Aegean, 3.8 nauticalmiles off the Turkish coasL. Later that day, the carrier, after refusing therescue offer from a ncarby Greek coast-guard, was able LOfloat again and backto ilS harbour towards evening without any further incident and muchdamage. At the time, nobody could foresee thatthis pure coincidence wouldstart a series of evems that brought two allies to the cdge of war. In fact, forseveral wccks, there was no crisis and it seemed that only a handful ofpcople, who exchanged diplomatic notes, did notice the incidenl. However,everything changed nearly a month later on 20 January 1996, when theincidem was leaked to the Greek periodical Granma, onlyadayarter Mr.Costas Simitis was named to form the new Grcck govemmenl. Immediately,a media campaign was launched by the Greek press with nationalislİcovertones, apparently to test Simitis' fortitude against Turkey.