Greek riot police yesterday hurled teargas at demonstrators trying to march to the US embassy in Athens to protest against visiting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
Police in full riot gear used teargas in the clash with protesters trying to break through their cordon.
The leftist and anti-war activists fired back with sticks, stones and petrol bombs.
The clashes broke out as Rice met with Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and a couple of hours before she was to meet with Prime Minister Costas Caramanlis.
Thousands of protesters, waving banners reading "Rice Go Home," gathered in central Athens vowing to reach the heavily guarded embassy, but most retreated under the teargas.
A group of self-styled anarchists trailing the march continued clashing with police, burning cars and smashing shop windows. There were no reports of injuries or arrests.
"This is an anti-war rally," said protester Panayiotis Hiundis, 26, a school teacher. "We are not protesting just against Rice, but the imperialist, war-mongering US government."
Greek leftists and peace activists usually protest against visits by senior US officials. Former secretary of state Colin Powell canceled a visit to the Athens 2004 Olympics for fear of violent protests.
Although NATO allies for decades, many Greeks are still angry at Washington for backing the far-right military junta that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974.
On Monday, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) surprised police by managing to hoist a giant poster reading "Condoleezza Rice Go Home" from the central Athens Music Hall, next to the US embassy.
Ahead of the visit, anarchists claimed responsibility for planting several firebombs, burning cars but causing no injuries.
Anti-globalization groups also participated in the march.
Rice told reporters on the plane to Athens she would discuss the Balkans and ways to end the division of the island of Cyprus, a major stumbling block to Turkey's EU accession hopes.
Divided among ethnic Greek and Turkish communities since Turkey invaded in 1974, Cyprus has evaded repeated UN efforts to re-unite in a federation.
The latest peace plan was rejected by Greek Cypriots, controlling the island's only internationally recognized government, in a 2004 referendum.
"We also want to have discussions on how to move forward on Cyprus," Rice said.
"I think that everybody would like to see that effort get back on track," she said.
"We don't have a specific proposal but of course discussions are going on," she added.
Rice also said she would raise the issues of Balkan peacemaking and the threat of terrorism along the Turkey-Iraq border during her brief stops in the Greek and Turkish capitals.
Rice is also traveling to Bulgaria for a gathering of NATO foreign ministers.
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