FYROM news

[nsminc]

Guys a quick heads up.

Dick Cheney is going to visit skopland in the coming days so watch out for references to fyrom as Macedonia.Just today I heard the news anchor say:

"Cheney is scheduled to visit U.S. allies Albania and Macedonia."

[akritas]

EE προς ΠΓΔM: FYROM η μόνη αποδεκτή ονομασία

04/08/2006 - 09:51

Mε πλήρη σαφήνεια η Eυρωπαϊκή Eνωση επαναλαμβάνει στην ΠΓΔM στο πλαίσιο υπογραφής της Συνθήκης για την ίδρυση της Eνεργειακής Kοινότητας ότι αποδέχεται μόνο την ονομασία «Πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας» και καμία άλλη για τη χώρα αυτή.
Yπενθυμίζεται πως η Συνθήκη για την ίδρυση της Eνεργειακής Kοινότητας υπογράφηκε στην Aθήνα τον περασμένο Oκτώβριο και σε αυτήν έχουν προσχωρήσει η Eυρωπαϊκή Eνωση, η Δημοκρατία της Aλβανίας, η Δημοκρατία της Bουλγαρίας, η Bοσνία - Eρζεγοβίνη, η Δημοκρατία της Kροατίας, η Πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας, η Δημοκρατία του Mαυροβουνίου, η Pουμανία, η Δημοκρατία της Σερβίας, (εφεξής αποκαλούμενες χώρες που προχωρούν), και η Aποστολή των Hνωμένων Eθνών για προσωρινή διοίκηση στο Kοσσυφοπέδιο κατ’ εφαρμογή του ψηφίσματος 1244 του Συμβουλίου Aσφαλείας των Hνωμένων Eθνών.
Προ ημερών δημοσιεύθηκε στην Eπίσημη Eφημερίδα της Eνωσης Aπόφαση του Συμβουλίου για έγκριση της Συνθήκης όπως και το κείμενο αυτής με τις δύο επιστολές της Kοινότητας και της ΠΓΔM στις οποίες γίνεται η αναφορά στο θέμα της ονομασίας.

H Συνθήκη προβλέπει τη δημιουργία ολοκληρωμένης αγοράς φυσικού αερίου και ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας στη Nοτιοανατολική Eυρώπη και δημιουργεί προοπτική προσέλκυσης επενδύσεων σε δίκτυα φυσικού αερίου, στην ηλεκτροπαραγωγή και σε δίκτυα μεταφοράς.
H Συνθήκη, όπως με σαφήνεια αναφέρεται στην απόφαση του Συμβουλίου βελτιώνει την ασφάλεια εφοδιασμού των συμβαλλομένων μερών, διότι συνδέει την Eλλάδα με τις αγορές φυσικού αερίου και ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας της Hπειρωτικής Eυρωπαϊκής Eνωσης και παρέχει κίνητρα για τη σύνδεση των Bαλκανίων με τα αποθέματα φυσικού αερίου της Kασπίας, της Bόρειας Aφρικής και της Mέσης Aνατολής.

Oι επιστολές
A) Eπιστολή ΠΓΔM προς Eνωση

«Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας - Γραφείο του αναπληρωτή πρωθυπουργού Minco Jordanov - Aθήνα, 25 Oκτωβρίου 2005. Eξοχότατε, με το παρόν έγγραφο δηλώνω ότι το κείμενο της Συνθήκης για την ίδρυση της Eνεργειακής Kοινότητας είναι αποδεκτό για την κυβέρνηση της Δημοκρατίας της Mακεδονίας. Mε την παρούσα επιστολή, η κυβέρνηση της Δημοκρατίας της Mακεδονίας θεωρεί ότι έχει υπογράψει τη Συνθήκη για την ίδρυση της Eνεργειακής Kοινότητας. Eν τούτοις, δηλώνω ότι η Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας δεν αποδέχεται την ονομασία που χρησιμοποιείται για τη χώρα μου στα προαναφερθέντα έγγραφα, εν όψει του ότι το συνταγματικό όνομα της χώρας μου είναι Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας. Mε εξαιρετική εκτίμηση, Minco Jordanov».

B) Eπιστολή Eνωσης προς ΠΓΔM

«Συμβούλιο της Eυρωπαϊκής Eνωσης - H Προεδρία - Aθήνα, 25 Oκτωβρίου 2005, κ. Minco Jordanov, Aντιπρόεδρο της κυβέρνησης της Πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβικής Δημοκρατίας της Mακεδονίας Aξιότιμε κύριε: H Eυρωπαϊκή Kοινότητα σημειώνει την επιστολή σας με σημερινή ημερομηνία και επιβεβαιώνει ότι η επιστολή σας και η απάντηση παρούσα από κοινού επέχουν θέση υπογραφής της Συνθήκης για την ίδρυση της Eνεργειακής Kοινότητας από την πρώην γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας. Eν τούτοις, αυτό δεν μπορεί να ερμηνευθεί υπό την έννοια ότι η Eυρωπαϊκή Kοινότητα αποδέχεται ή αναγνωρίζει με οποιαδήποτε μορφή ή περιεχόμενο, άλλη ονομασία πέραν του «Πρώην Γιουγκοσλαβική Δημοκρατία της Mακεδονίας». Με εξαιρετική εκτίμηση, εξ ονόματος της Eυρωπαϊκής Kοινότητας».

http://www.express.gr/index.php?seli...eg=3&lang_id=1

[akritas]

US Congressmen Urge FYROM to Stop Nationalistic Propaganda



Athens. US congressmen urge FYROM to stop its nationalistic propaganda as News.in informs.

This is what has been noted in a draft resolution introduced at the US Congress by Democrat Caroline Maloney. By now the draft resolution has been signed by 77 congressmen from the Republican and Democratic parties.
The resolution reads that FYROM should stop with the “negative and nationalistic propaganda” and start cooperating with the UN and Greece for finding an acceptable official name for the republic.

The site notes that last month Republican Party congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, called on Skopje to accept the proposal of UN Special Envoy on FYROM Matthew Nemitz. In an article in the National Review magazine the congresswoman stresses that Mr. Nemitz’s proposal is the basis for talks on finding an acceptable solution to the name dispute “in favor of both states and the stability on the Balkans”.


source
http://www.in.gr/news/article.asp?ln...8&lngDtrID=244

[Ptolemy]

GOVERNMENT AND OPPOSITION CLASH OVER MP ANITA KIPARIZOVSKA- KRSTEVSKA' S ETHNIC NATIONALITY


MPs form the governing and the opposition party yesterday fiercely clashed over
the new Committee for Ethnic Relations members, more specifically, over the
ethnic nationality of VMRO-DPMNE MP Anita Kiparizovska- Krstevska. ""Dnevnik"
said the opposition questioned Kiparizovska- Krstevska' s ethnic nationality,
asking whether she had in the past declared herself of Vlach or 'Macedonian'
nationality, or had now decided to be of Vlach ethnicity just to provide the
Government with the Badenter's majority. Revolted by her nomination for a member
of the Committee, without examining her ethnic background, DUI-PDP MPs left the
Committee session, withdrawing its MPs from the Committee. DUI-PDP called on the
international community to intervene in the case, saying the Committee for
Ethnic Relations was a body formed as obligations included in the Framework
Agreement and that it carried significant importance. They added that the issue
had to be resolved, saying if left unsolved it could lead to abuse of the
Badenter's principle.

SDSM MPs Nikola Kjurciev and Radmila Sekerinska urged Kiparizovska -Krstevska to
revel whether she considered herself of Vlach ethnic nationality and whether she
had in the past declared herself to be of 'Macedonian' nationality. Replying to
Kjurciev and Sekerinska, Kiparizovska -Krstevska said she had no intentions of
proving whether she was of Vlach of 'Macedonian' nationality, saying all
interested in her ethnic background should read the book "The Vlachs of Ohrid",
which according to her contained biographical data about her family. The Speaker
of Parliament, Ljubisha Georgievski and governing parties MPs panned the
opposition for violating the Convention of Human Rights, saying nobody had
rights to debate about a person's ethnic nationality, adding that it was an
intimate right of all citizens.

A1 TV said with the votes of DPA MPs and of several other MPs representing
ethnic communities in parliament and with Kiparizovska -Krstevska's vote, the
Government intended to secure the Badenter's majority needed for passing
important laws and to prevent DUI-PDP from obstructing Parliament's work.
Channel 5 TV said Kiparizovska -Krstevska's vote in the Committee for Ethnic
Relations was of great impotence as this body decided on which laws need support
from a Badenter's majority. Moreover, Channel 5 TV claimed it possessed
documents dating from 15th July this year showing Kiparizovska -Krstevska being
of 'Macedonian' nationality.

[akritas]

Brussels leaves FYROMacedonia in the dark on EU entry talks



31.01.2007 - 09:26 CET | By Lucia Kubosova

The European Commission says it is too early to set a start date for FYROMacedonia's EU entry talks, despite Slovenia dropping hints that its EU presidency - in the first half of 2008 - could see Skopje get a firm timetable for negotiations.

Speaking to journalists after a meeting with FYROMacedonian president Branko Crvenkovski on Tuesday (30 January), commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said "We cannot now commit ourselves to a date."

He added that Skopje must first make progress in several areas, particularly the police and judiciary, with the commission to evaluate the problematic issues in a detailed autumn report.

Mr Crvenkovski said that while his country does not "expect this [the starting date] to be presented to us as a gift" and intends to work hard to achieve it, adding it is crucial as an incentive for further reform efforts.

Earlier this month, the ex-Yugoslav country of 2 million received a positive statement from Slovenian prime minister Janez Jansa who said in the European Parliament that his government would "try to help this candidate country to get a date."

The promise by the first "new" EU member state to take up the bloc's presidency in January 2008 to consider FYROMacedonia's membership bid as one of its priorities was later echoed by Slovenian foreign minister Dimitri Rupel on his visit to Skopje.

Intestinal conflict

FYROMacedonia is currently facing a political crisis after a party of ethnic Albanians accused the governing coalition of breaching the so called Ohrid treaty - a peace deal agreed in 2001 after a conflict between FYROMacedonian majority and Albanian minority in the country.

The dispute was sparked after the biggest Albanian party and its coalition partner were excluded from the government although they had won the majority of ethnic Albanian votes in last year's elections.

The main ethnic Albanian party has also accused the country's prime minister Nikola Gruevski and his coalition - which includes another Albanian party - of ignoring one of the Ohrid deal principles which requires that laws concerning minorities be approved by the MPs that represent them.

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana told the FYROMacedonian president on Tuesday to start a deep dialogue among the country's political parties, adding that it is crucial also for achieving a political consensus on EU talks.

EUobserver.com

[Domitius]

They're digging their own grave. That's bad news for us, as FYROM is a useful state in the region because it counterbalances Bulgarian and Albanian expansionist designs against Greece. If they can't join the EU anyway because of ethnic issues, then Greece saying "I'll veto you if you don't compromise on your name" isn't much of a menace.

[akritas]

EU warns FYROMacedonia over entry


The European Union's Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn, has issued an unusually stark warning to FYROMacedonia, the former Yugoslav republic which gained EU candidate status in 2005.

In a speech in the FYROMacedonian capital Skopje on Thursday, Mr Rehn described developments in the country over the last year as "alarming and a cause for concern".
Mr Rehn's main worry is the tension between the ruling conservatives and FYROMacedonia's largest ethnic Albanian party DUI, led by Ali Ahmeti.
Sixteen deputies, mainly from Mr Ahmeti's party, walked out of parliament and are threatening to boycott municipal authorities.
DUI is accusing the government of lacking legitimacy and ignoring the rights of ethnic Albanians, who form about one-quarter of the country's population of two million.



Changing times

Mr Ahmeti is a guerrilla leader turned politician.
One of the founders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, he returned to his native FYROMacedonia to lead ethnic Albanians in the 2001 revolt against government forces that took the country to the brink of civil war.
He then joined the coalition government formed as a result of the Ohrid peace accord, mediated by the EU and Nato.
But despite winning most Albanian votes in the 2006 election, Mr Ahmeti has found himself in opposition for the first time, after Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski chose a smaller Albanian party for his coalition.
A year ago, the EU praised Macedonia as the only functioning multi-ethnic democracy in the Balkans, rewarding it with the coveted candidate status.
Now things are different, with Mr Rehn criticising all parties for "obstruction and lack of faith".
He called on them to work within the democratic institutions they had worked so hard to set up.

'Wake-up call'

To press his point, the EU commissioner met the Macedonian prime minister no less than five times during his one-day trip.
He also held separate talks with all party leaders one by one.
Even the silver-haired Mr Ahmeti was persuaded to return to the parliament building to meet the man from Brussels.
"It's very important that at the time of negotiations on the future status of Kosovo and concerns over the stability of the region, we can prevent the political stalemate in this country turning into a crisis," Mr Rehn told the BBC.
"We need to exert pressure on both the government and the opposition to respect the rules of the game and ensure the legitimacy of the political system.
"This was meant to be a strong wake-up call and I hope we'll see a reinforcement of mutual trust, a consensus on the rights of minorities and reforms related to European aspirations."


Sluggish reforms

Diplomats are concerned that reforms have slowed down in FYROMacedonia after it received candidate status, especially in key areas such as fighting corruption and reforming the police.
EU membership was not automatic, Olli Rehn warned, and substantial reforms were needed before the European Commission could seriously consider recommending the start of membership talks. The government hopes to receive a date for accession negotiations at the end of this year, but that looks increasingly unrealistic.

BBC NEWS | Europe | EU warns FYROMacedonia over entry

[akritas]

Question on FYROM decision endangering flight safety

Parliamentary acts
02:04 pm - Sunday
European Parliament: question on FYROM decision endangering flight safety

Strasbourg, France - By Georgios Karatzaferis (IND/DEM)
(WAPA) - "Written question E-0050/07
by Georgios Karatzaferis (IND/DEM)
to the Council

Subject: FYROM decision endangering flight safety

The government in Skopje recently decided - in breach of the interim agreement with Greece - to rename that city's airport 'Alexander the Great', after the great Greek military commander and civiliser.

The Greek Civil Aviation Service and the Hellenic Air Force, however, registered the airport of Chrysoupoli (Kavala) under that name with the ICAO (and with all other international organisations) 15 years ago. The result of this situation is that enormous risks have now been created which endanger flight safety owing to the fact that two neighbouring FIR will be using the same name for two airports in close proximity.

How has the Council responded to make FYROM (which aspires to EU accession) understand that its decision endangers the safety of thousands of passengers?".

(Avionews)

(006) 070209140410-73804 (World Aeronautical Press Agency - 2007-02-09 02:04 pm)
http://www.avionews.com/index.php?co...ante=index.php
__________________

[Titus]

Has everyone seen the BBC article entitled "EU warns Macedonia over entry". Here are some of the more interesting quotes:

In a speech in the Macedonian capital Skopje on Thursday, Mr Rehn described developments in the country over the last year as "alarming and a cause for concern".

...

[Mr Rehn told the BBC]:

"We need to exert pressure on both the government and the opposition to respect the rules of the game and ensure the legitimacy of the political system.

"This was meant to be a strong wake-up call and I hope we'll see a reinforcement of mutual trust, a consensus on the rights of minorities and reforms related to European aspirations."

...

EU membership was not automatic, Olli Rehn warned, and substantial reforms were needed before the European Commission could seriously consider recommending the start of membership talks.

The government hopes to receive a date for accession negotiations at the end of this year, but that looks increasingly unrealistic.

Retrieved from http:/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6344907.stm

It seems that FYROM will not be joining the EU in the near future. It'd be advisable a) for Greek businessmen to get a move on and buy as much as possible in FYROM before membership talks start and the prices start rising, and b) the Greek government to hint to the FYROM leaders that Greece is prepared to turn a blind eye to certain of their faults and will advise EU leaders to do the same if they agree on a compromise name.

[akritas]

FYROM concerned over position of NATO and EU

SKOPJE (ANA-MPA)

Reservations with which many NATO and European Union countries are facing the prospect of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's (FYROM) accession to the two international orgnisations is a cause of concern for the country's leadership which, in past weeks, has started a campaign aimed at promoting its candidacy.

However, the results of this campaign have created scepticism among FYROM's leaders, since both the country's President Branko Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who visited Brussels successively, had the opportunity of ascertaining that the scene is vague for FYROM and the pending issue concerning the country's name is making it even more vague.

As regards the EU, political analysts, both in Skopje and Brussels, were surprised by the tough and not particularly diplomatic language used by Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn during his recent visit to FYROM.

The Finnish Commissioner made it clear that the feeling prevailing in Brussels is that reforms are "dragging their feet" and that democratisation in FYROM (particularly with regard to minority rights) is inadequate.

On the question of NATO, which FYROM hopes to join in 2008, the climate is also problematic. FYROM's leaders have ascertained in past weeks that the issue of the name is on the agenda of discussions they are having with NATO officials and constitutes one of the many obstacles existing in FYROM's course towards NATO accession.

http://www.hri.org/news/greek/ana/20...15.ana.html#08