BBC News Online: World: Europe

Turkey, Israel, USA to hold joint war games

The Turkish military has announced that joint exercises with Israel and the United States will go ahead in the eastern Mediterranean between the fifth and ninth of January.

An army statement said the exercises were aimed at the joint development of search and rescue operations.

The announcement comes despite criticism voiced by Muslim states at the summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Teheran.

Israel and Turkey pledged to continue their military cooperation during a recent visit by the Israeli Defence Minister, Yitzhak Mordechai.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service