A letter that must be answered back .

[oldjedi]

Good morning ...

Merry Christmas to all of you , health and joy ...

Καλα Χριστουγεννα σε ολους , με υγεια και ευτυχια ..

I am sure , you all know the petition i am posting below , and the letter which has been sent to president Papoulias , from the same people.
Do you know of any answer to this petition ? Addressed of course to the same recipients , and of any answer of the letter send to the president and the Parliament of FYROM ??...
And IF there was NOT any answer dont we owe an answer to these people ?
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To: United Nations, European Union, and North Atlantic Treaty Organization


P E T I T I O N

From:

United Macedonian Diaspora

To:

Secretary-General of the United Nations and its Member Nations
Secretary-General of the Council of the European Union and its Member States
Secretary-General of the Council of Europe
President of the European Parliament and Parliamentarians
European Parliament Committee on Foreign Relations
Secretary-General of the NATO and its Alliance Member Nations
The World Bank
The International Monetary Fund
Holy See – Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI
United States President
United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of Defense
United States National Security Council
United States Senators
United States Senate International Relations Committee
United States House of Representatives
United States House Foreign Affairs Committee
United States Ambassador to Macedonia
Australian Government
British Government
Canadian Government
Chinese Government
French Government
Russian Government
Macedonian President
Macedonian Prime Minister
Macedonian Minister of Foreign Affairs
Macedonian Minister of Defense
Macedonian Agency for Emigration
Macedonian Parliament
Macedonian Ambassador to the United States
Macedonian Media
International Media

Subject: Furthering the International Community’s Support for the Republic of Macedonia

The Government of the Republic of Macedonia, hereinafter referred to as ‘Macedonia,’ has made every effort to create an atmosphere in which a multi-ethnic society can develop and prosper. Macedonia serves, and will continue to serve, as an ideal developmental model reflecting prosperous multi-ethnic European society. The country has worked to resolve the heavy challenges of establishing a multi-cultural society despite the many socio-economic problems it has faced since its statehood in 1991. Equally important, Macedonia has shown uncommon determination in its efforts to embrace the Western Democratic Order. It is now incumbent on Macedonia’s neighboring states of Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia to adopt, to implement, and to further the developmental model of a functional multi-ethnic Europe by discarding their respective policies of state sponsored religious and/or racial discrimination against people of ethnic Macedonian origin.

All signatories to said petition agree to act as human rights advocates pledging to end racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination against people of ethnic Macedonian origin; moreover, representing the United Macedonian Diaspora, all participants agree to act as advocates of sound public policy highlighting a careful consideration of key issues regarding Macedonia and the wider Balkan region, which are the following:

· Under the rule of international law, there is no precedent granting to any government the power or authority to dictate to an independent sovereign nation what the sovereign’s name is or should be. We urge the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and those nations who have not yet done so, to take the logical step of formally conveying full diplomatic recognition to Macedonia under its constitutional name, “The Republic of Macedonia.”

· The right to self-identification is enshrined in international law (Framework Convention on National Minorities [FCNM], Art. 3). This right has individual and collective dimensions. Each person has the right to identify themselves with a minority group (or not), and each group has the right to decide whether it would like to preserve its own group identity; including customs, traditions, language and religion. In its General Comment 23 on Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the United Nations Committee on Human Rights (UNCHR) stressed that the existence of a group is based on objective criteria coupled with the right to self-identification, and that it is not up to the state to decide whether a minority group exists. Under the above cited precedent, it is incumbent on the United Nations and its members to recognize the displaced, violated, or tortured minority group which self-identifies as Macedonian; including those Macedonian groups living, residing, or desiring to return to their homes in the states of Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania. Moreover, as established by the government of the United States of America vis-ΰ-vis the U.N. Committee on Human Rights, worldwide diplomatic recognition of the state of Macedonia under its constitutional name “The Republic of Macedonia” is indispensable, just, and mandatory.

· Stemming from systematic discrimination by the Greek, Bulgarian, and Albanian governments upon their own Macedonian minority, we urge the International Community to put pressure upon these governments to acknowledge the existence of an ethnic Macedonian minority with its own culture, customs, traditions and language; to stop the policies of forced assimilation and denationalization of ethnic Macedonian minorities, as guaranteed by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Helsinki Agreement and the Vienna and Copenhagen documents of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

· The Macedonian minorities living in Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania must be granted the right to the repatriation and restitution of lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned or otherwise occupied or used, and which have been confiscated, occupied, used or damaged without their free and informed consent in the signing of the Treaty of Bucharest in 1913. Where this is not possible, the Macedonian minorities should have the right to just and fair compensation. Unless otherwise freely agreed upon by the parties concerned, compensation shall take the form of lands, territories, and resources equal in quality, size, and legal status.

· It is incumbent upon the European Union, under the Maastricht Treaty, for the European Community’s central institutions to act “ insofar as the objectives of the proposed action cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States.” Here, ending state-sponsored racial and religious discrimination by Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, and Serbia “cannot be sufficiently achieved” without direct action by the European Community’s central institutions. Therefore, we call upon the European Community to predicate and enforce the values of subsidiarity equally, and among all Member States, free of any racial, religious, or gender based discrimination; these include: the right of minority self-determination and accountability, minority political liberty, preservation of ethnic identity of all peoples, preservation of racial and religious diversity, and respect for all minority political groups.

· We urge the International Community to pressure the European Community, especially the governments of Greece, Serbia-Montenegro, Bulgaria, and Albania, along with their ecclesiastical authorities, to recognize the Macedonian Orthodox Church and Jewish-Macedonians in order to preserve the right to freedom of religion. We encourage restoration of old, and the building of new, Macedonian Orthodox churches and Macedonian-Jewish synagogues within their countries, and allowing the use of the Macedonian language during worship.

· It is in the best interest of Europe and the Westernized World to do everything possible so as to insure security, peace, vigorous economic growth, and continued progress toward democratization of Macedonia, with the goal of ensuring a more stable Balkan region. We urge the European Union to provide full assistance to Macedonia in its stabilization efforts towards becoming a Member State; essentially, to do in Macedonia and the Balkans what the Western European countries did in the 1970s to stabilize Spain and Portugal.

· In the interest of avoiding a repeat of the violence witnessed in Bosnia or Kosovo, immediate implementation of positive social and economic reforms banning respective racial, national origin, religious, or gender-based discrimination in Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania remain fundamental to the stability of Europe.

· In cooperating with NATO, Macedonia played a key role in preventing the spread of the Kosovo crisis. Macedonia, as a long-time member of the NATO “Partners for Peace” program has had on-going cooperative training exercises with the United States military and in the spirit of defense cooperation has been active in sending military units to Afghanistan and Iraq. We support the on-going efforts for Macedonian admission into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

· We urge the International Community’s intervention and institutionalization of continuous long-term mechanisms necessary against those who threaten the stability, the economic development, and the continued multi-ethnic development of the democratic process in Macedonia; including international monitoring and regulating of state sponsored racial and religious discrimination against Macedonia or people of Macedonian origin by Greece, Bulgaria, and Albania. Peace in Macedonia, and along Macedonia’s borders, helps ensure lasting peace and stability in the wider region.

· We urge the United States and other major industrialized nations of the world, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other political and economic groups to provide economic assistance to Macedonia, thereby helping the country deal with the current internal and external imbalances. Furthermore, we demand from the government of Macedonia to provide access to capital resources for investment in Macedonia, as well to establish reforms and incentives that would increase trade and investment by supporting private companies, business experts, and economic development specialists.

· An internationally recognized demarcation of the Macedonia-Kosovo border furthers the stability of the region; specifically, this demarcation is imperative to respective law enforcement on both sides of the border in their fight against global terrorism, global illegal narcotics smuggling, and global illegal smuggling of women who fall victims to international prostitution rings.

To this end, the United Macedonian Diaspora would like to make it known to the International Community that we will no longer tolerate changes to our name, our identity, our national flag, symbols, and anthem, and existing territorial borders. The United Macedonian Diaspora believes strongly in the rights to freedom, liberty, and self-determination.




Sincerely,







ΤΟ ΓΡΑΜΜΑ ΣΤΟΝ ΠΡΟΕΔΡΟ



United Macedonian Diaspora Letter to Greek President Karolos Papoulias


NOVEMBER 1st, 2005

WASHINGTON, D.C. - - The United Macedonian Diaspora sends letter on November 1, 2005 to the President of the Hellenic Republic, His Excellency, President Karolos Papoulias regarding his recent "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina."

His Excellency, President Karolos Papoulias
c/o His Excellency, Ambassador Alexandros P. Mallias
Hellenic Republic
Embassy of Greece
2221 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
VIA FACSIMILE: (202) 939-1324

Your Excellency,

We are writing in reference to your recent "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina." The United Macedonian Diaspora is not disputing the authenticity of the archeological excavations in Vergina. But can you explain to us what they have to do with modern state sponsored racial, national origin, and religious discrimination in modern Greece? Are you implying that because the ancient Macedonians shared a similar architecture with the ancient city-states that the Macedonians were Greek? Are you implying that because the ancient Macedonian royal court utilized the international ancient Koine language with the city-states that the Macedonians were Greek?

What exactly did you mean when you said you are issuing an "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina?" This does not justify racism or ethnic discrimination by your government.

Your Excellency, you can find buildings with Athenian architecture in the United States today. However, this does not mean all Americans are Greek. You will also find Latin inscriptions on those same buildings. This does not mean all Americans are Romans.

If the ancient Macedonians shared some common elements with the neighboring ancient city-states, then this does not automatically make them kin. In fact, there is evidence reinforcing the notion that the ancient Greeks and the ancient Macedonians were two separate cultures and nations. Therefore, we respectfully ask, how are these ancient excavations, at all, germane to the modern inequities of the current Greek government?

It is well known, Your Excellency, that modern Greece was created for the first time in 1829. It is also public knowledge that modern Greece invaded, occupied and, with its partners Serbia and Bulgaria, partitioned Macedonia circa 1912-1913. The fact is, Your Excellency, that Macedonia was never Greek before the 1912-1913 invasion and occupation.

The United Macedonian Diaspora invites you to explain the Hellenic character of Macedonia and what it has to do with contemporary Greek state sponsored racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination today?

Specifically, how do you justify the current Greek Government’s state sponsored racial, national origin, and religious discrimination against Greek citizens of Macedonian national origin; especially, as a member state to the European Union and the Council of Europe? The express bold faced discrimination by your government was recently acknowledged by the European Court of Human Rights in their decisions holding that: 1) there is a Macedonian minority in Greece, and 2) that the Macedonian people are the continuous victims of Greek and Bulgarian state sponsored discrimination. The findings of the Court are consistent with findings of the United Nations, of the United States Department of State, and of various independent human rights agencies worldwide.

Your Excellency, do you not believe that it is time for the Greek Government to face reality and recognize that the ancient Macedonian heritage belongs to the Macedonians? This Macedonian heritage also belongs to the same tortured and discriminated Macedonians who today live in Greece without even the most basic human rights, especially the right to speak their own Macedonian language.

As you are well aware, Your Excellency, after the Balkan Wars in 1913 Greece annexed a large portion of Macedonia. Nonetheless, the Republic of Macedonia has never demanded border changes, nor does it object to the use of the name "Makedonia" to designate the Northern Province in Greece. With that said, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for Greece to maintain it has the exclusive rights to the Macedonian name. Greece is Greece and Macedonia is Macedonia.

Your Excellency, we anticipate you will exhibit wisdom, courage and good will in recognizing, without delay, the Macedonian minority in your country. We urge you to stop interfering in the affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, and recognize our country by its constitutional name. We urge you to grant full and equal rights for all citizens born in Greece, despite their race, ethnicity, or religion.

Your Excellency, this is the 21st century and we need to think progressively toward the future. Let us bury the past and continue to build long standing relations between these two neighboring countries that share common interests in economic prosperity, religion, and peace in the region.

Sincerely,

United Macedonian Diaspora

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I will be obliged to hear any news concerning these documents.

:thumbs:

[Istor]

Do you need any specific comment-answer by us ??

General comments are in this very forum and in my forums:

[Istor]

Happy new Year.

My answers to those UMD claims are here:

http://www.network54.com/Forum/40799...UMD-++PETITION
http://www.network54.com/Forum/40799...olos+Papoulias

[Aristotelian]

Im not sure if this is old news to you guys but i juts came across this rubbish, i wonder whatPapoulias replied.?!
This guys are seriously beyond help, They find our artifacts on there side and they claim it as there own?I want this idiodts to simpy give us an educated answer to why they dont remeber what the ancient Macos spoke, and if they say slavic well ella na xorepsome yamotimou


Letter to Greek President

Tuesday, 01 November 2005
UMDiaspora sent a letter to the President of the Hellenic Republic, His Excellency, President Karolos Papoulias regarding his recent "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina." News article regarding President Papoulias’ invitation may be found at http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=551808

His Excellency, President Karolos Papoulias
c/o His Excellency, Ambassador Alexandros P. Mallias
Hellenic Republic
Embassy of Greece
2221 Massachusetts Ave. N.W.
Washington, DC 20008
VIA FACSIMILE: (202) 939-1324

Your Excellency,

We are writing in reference to your recent "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina." The United Macedonian Diaspora is not disputing the authenticity of the archeological excavations in Vergina. But can you explain to us what they have to do with modern state sponsored racial, national origin, and religious discrimination in modern Greece? Are you implying that because the ancient Macedonians shared a similar architecture with the ancient city-states that the Macedonians were Greek? Are you implying that because the ancient Macedonian royal court utilized the international ancient Koine language with the city-states that the Macedonians were Greek?

What exactly did you mean when you said you are issuing an "invitation to all those disputing the Hellenic character of Macedonia to visit the findings unearthed by archaeological excavations in Vergina?" This does not justify racism or ethnic discrimination by your government.

Your Excellency, you can find buildings with Athenian architecture in the United States today. However, this does not mean all Americans are Greek. You will also find Latin inscriptions on those same buildings. This does not mean all Americans are Romans.

If the ancient Macedonians shared some common elements with the neighboring ancient city-states, then this does not automatically make them kin. In fact, there is evidence reinforcing the notion that the ancient Greeks and the ancient Macedonians were two separate cultures and nations. Therefore, we respectfully ask, how are these ancient excavations, at all, germane to the modern inequities of the current Greek government?

It is well known, Your Excellency, that modern Greece was created for the first time in 1829. It is also public knowledge that modern Greece invaded, occupied and, with its partners Serbia and Bulgaria, partitioned Macedonia circa 1912-1913. The fact is, Your Excellency, that Macedonia was never Greek before the 1912-1913 invasion and occupation.

The United Macedonian Diaspora invites you to explain the Hellenic character of Macedonia and what it has to do with contemporary Greek state sponsored racial, ethnic, and religious discrimination today?

Specifically, how do you justify the current Greek Government’s state sponsored racial, national origin, and religious discrimination against Greek citizens of Macedonian national origin; especially, as a member state to the European Union and the Council of Europe? The express bold faced discrimination by your government was recently acknowledged by the European Court of Human Rights in their decisions holding that: 1) there is a Macedonian minority in Greece, and 2) that the Macedonian people are the continuous victims of Greek and Bulgarian state sponsored discrimination. The findings of the Court are consistent with findings of the United Nations, of the United States Department of State, and of various independent human rights agencies worldwide.

Your Excellency, do you not believe that it is time for the Greek Government to face reality and recognize that the ancient Macedonian heritage belongs to the Macedonians? This Macedonian heritage also belongs to the same tortured and discriminated Macedonians who today live in Greece without even the most basic human rights, especially the right to speak their own Macedonian language.

As you are well aware, Your Excellency, after the Balkan Wars in 1913 Greece annexed a large portion of Macedonia. Nonetheless, the Republic of Macedonia has never demanded border changes, nor does it object to the use of the name "Makedonia" to designate the Northern Province in Greece. With that said, there is absolutely no reason whatsoever for Greece to maintain it has the exclusive rights to the Macedonian name. Greece is Greece and Macedonia is Macedonia.

Your Excellency, we anticipate you will exhibit wisdom, courage and good will in recognizing, without delay, the Macedonian minority in your country. We urge you to stop interfering in the affairs of the Republic of Macedonia, and recognize our country by its constitutional name. We urge you to grant full and equal rights for all citizens born in Greece, despite their race, ethnicity, or religion.

Your Excellency, this is the 21st century and we need to think progressively toward the future. Let us bury the past and continue to build long standing relations between these two neighboring countries that share common interests in economic prosperity, religion, and peace in the region.

Sincerely,

United Macedonian Diaspora

[Tsontos]

Threads merged