Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, is on Tuesday expected to press the Greek government to reject a proposal by Gazprom to participate in a new gas pipeline under construction between Greece and Turkey.

Ms Rice, making a stopover in Athens on her way to Ankara, will hold talks with Costas Karamanlis, Greek prime minister, on regional energy issues, Turkey’s EU accession prospects and efforts to re-unify Cyprus, according to Greek officials. Later this week, she will attend a Nato foreign ministers’ meeting in Sofia.