Barack Obama: FYROM must end hostile and irredentist propaganda against Greece

[Tsontos]

Seeing as the Skopjians are buying up adspace in Western newspapers, we should see that this gets at least some circulation as the profile of Obama has obvioulsy been hoisted much higher since this time!


MENENDEZ, OBAMA AND SNOWE TAKE TO U.S. SENATE EFFORT TO END FYROM HOSTILE AND IRREDENTIST PROPAGANDA AGAINST GREECE
03 August, 2007

Legislation to stop state-sponsored propaganda by FYROM (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), which is potentially dangerous for Greece, was introduced in the U.S. Senate today by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME), along with Presidential candidate and Chairman of the European Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Barack Obama (D-IL).

More than 72 Members of Congress and climbing are sponsoring similar legislation (HR 356) in the House of Representatives.

The Resolution (S.Res. 300) points to a television report showing students in a FYROM state-run school being taught that parts of Greece, including Greek Macedonia, are rightfully parts of FYROM. The legislation also points to various recently-published textbooks which contain maps of ‘Greater Macedonia’ extending many miles into Greece and Bulgaria. The Resolution points out that FYROM propaganda, contrary to the U. N. Interim Accord, instills hostility and a rationale of irredentism in portions of the population of FYROM toward Greece and the history of Greece.

The legislation urges FYROM to adhere to the U.N. brokered Interim Agreement, which directs the parties to “promptly take effective measures to prohibit hostile activities or propaganda by state-controlled agencies and to discourage acts by private entities likely to incite violence, hatred or hostility” and review the content of textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure that such tools are stating accurate information. The bill also urges FYROM to work with Greece within the U.N. framework process to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals by reaching a mutually acceptable official name for FYROM.

http://www.greekembassy.org/Embassy/...&article=21400

[Truth Bearer]

The skopjian propagandists are clogging the poor mans web page with total rubbish.I mean really do they think he cares?

[Ithaca]

Bravo Barack, u da man!!! Awwwww Yeeeeaaaahhhhhhh!!!!!

[Kipros_Elliniki]

Is this bill still on? It's almost a year old.

[Ithaca]

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/.../~r110ScCCx9::

SENATE RESOLUTION 300--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA (FYROM) SHOULD STOP THE UTILIZATION OF MATERIALS THAT VIOLATE PROVISIONS OF THE UNITED NATIONS-BROKERED INTERIM AGREEMENT BETWEEN FYROM AND GREECE REGARDING ``HOSTILE ACTIVITIES OR PROPAGANDA'' AND SHOULD WORK WITH THE UNITED NATIONS AND GREECE TO ACHIEVE LONGSTANDING UNITED STATES AND UNITED NATIONS POLICY GOALS OF FINDING A MUTUALLY-ACCEPTABLE OFFICIAL NAME FOR FYROM -- (Senate - August 03, 2007)


[Page: S10937] GPO's PDF
--- Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. Snowe and Mr. Obama) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

S. Res. 300

Whereas, on April 8, 1993, the United Nations General Assembly admitted as a member the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), under the name the ``Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia'';

Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 817 (1993) states that the dispute over the name must be resolved to maintain peaceful relations between Greece and FYROM;

Whereas, on September 13, 1995, Greece and FYROM signed a United Nations-brokered Interim Accord that, among other things, commits them to not ``support claims to any part of the territory of the other party or claims for a change of their existing frontiers'';

Whereas a pre-eminent goal of the United Nations Interim Accord was to stop FYROM from utilizing, since its admittance to the United Nations in 1993, what the Accord calls ``propaganda'', including in school textbooks;

Whereas a television report in recent years showed students in a state-run school in FYROM still being taught that parts of Greece, including Greek Macedonia, are rightfully part of FYROM;

Whereas some textbooks, including the Military Academy textbook published in 2004 by the Military Academy ``General Mihailo Apostolski'' in the FYROM capital city, contain maps showing that a ``Greater Macedonia'' extends many miles south into Greece to Mount Olympus and miles east to Mount Pirin in Bulgaria;

Whereas, in direct contradiction of the spirit of the United Nations Interim Accord's section ``A'', entitled ``Friendly Relations and Confidence Building Measures'', which attempts to eliminate challenges regarding ``historic and cultural patrimony'', the Government of FYROM recently renamed the capital city's international airport ``Alexander the Great Airport'';

Whereas the aforementioned acts constitute a breach of FYROM's international obligations deriving from the spirit of the United Nations Interim Accord, which provide that FYROM should abstain from any form of ``propaganda'' against Greece's historical or cultural heritage;

Whereas such acts are not compatible with Article 10 of the United Nations Interim Accord, which calls for ``improving understanding and good neighbourly relations'', as well as with European standards and values endorsed by European Union member-states; and

Whereas this information, like that exposed in the media report and elsewhere, being used contrary to the United Nations Interim Accord instills hostility and a rationale for irredentism in portions of the population of FYROM toward Greece and the history of Greece: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) urges the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) to observe its obligations under Article 7 of the 1995 United Nations-brokered Interim Accord, which directs the parties to ``promptly take effective measures to prohibit hostile activities or propaganda by state-controlled agencies and to discourage acts by private entities likely to incite violence, hatred or hostility'' and review the contents of textbooks, maps, and teaching aids to ensure that such tools are stating accurate information; and

(2) urges FYROM to work with Greece within the framework of the United Nations process to achieve longstanding United States and United Nations policy goals by reaching a mutually-acceptable official name for FYROM.



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