Greece has buried its long-standing differences with Turkey, pledging to do whatever it can to help its historic enemy deal with the earthquake disaster.

Both the Turkish Prime Minister, Bulent Ecevit, and his Foreign Minister, Ismail Cem, have personally telephoned their Greek counterparts to thank them for the unexpectedly generous aid.

Greece has already sent plane-loads of doctors, rescue workers, medicines, sniffer dogs, ambulances, blankets and tents to Turkey.

Cutting short his holiday to oversee the operation personally, the Greek Foreign Minister, George Papandreou, said "traditional problems" between the two nations bore no relation to the relief effort.

An Israeli rescuer struggles among the rubble

Instead, he said, as Turkey's nearest western neighbour, Greece had set up a special government commission to co-ordinate the aid.

The Greek public - responding to an appeal from the Mayor of Athens - have also began gathering food, clothing and medical supplies for the earthquake victims.

Municipal officials in the Greek capital say they hope to send what is described as tons of popular aid in the next few days.

The scale of the Greek support has taken many by surprise.

Listen to Helena Smith's report

Although members of Nato, Greece and Turkey are divided by an array of territorial and minority disputes that have brought them to the brink of war three times in the past 25 years.

Greece is not the only country to weigh in with help for a regional superpower that more often than not has also been an enemy.