World IN BRIEF : MEDITERRANEAN SEA : Greek, Turkish Ships at Isle Begin Pullback

Warships massed in the eastern Aegean Sea as Greece and Turkey threatened to do battle over the right to raise the flag on a rocky outcropping that is home to a few goats. But after reaching an accord mediated by the United States, both sides began withdrawing their ships, Greek officials said. The crisis had been fueled by news reports in both countries that make possession of the 10-acre islet a matter of national honor. Any armed conflict between the two neighbors--the most heavily armed countries in the region--could have proved disastrous.