Greek press on the Macedonian issue (news in English)

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ANA-MPA Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved.

FM: FYROM undermining talks

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis on Tuesday accused the prime minister-designate of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Gruevski, of deliberately trying to undermine the negotiating process underway at the United Nations for a solution to the long-running dispute between Greece and FYROM over the "name issue".

"Today, the entire international community now knows that Mr. Gruevski is trying to deliberately undermine the foundations of the negotiation that are being carried out on very specific terms," Bakoyannis said as she emerged from an inner cabinet meeting under Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

She was commenting on a letter sent by FYROM's premier to Karamanlis the day before, in which Gruevski attempted to insert into the agenda of the talks demands relating to an alleged 'Macedonian minority' whose existence is not acknowledged by the Greek side.

The Greek foreign minister warned Skopje against pursuing this provocative attitude any further, noting that "such extreme nationalism sows wind and reaps a whirlwind".

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ANA-MPA Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved.

PASOK says 'no answer" to FYROM PM

Main opposition PASOK leader George Papandreou said on Tuesday that there was no need to give an answer to a letter sent by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) leadership to Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

Commenting on a letter sent by FYROM prime minister designate Nikola Gruevski to the Greek premier the day before, in which he attempted to insert into the agenda of the talks demands relating to an alleged 'Macedonian minority' whose existence is not acknowledged by the Greek side, Papandreou, who speking in an interview with the ET3 TV station, Papandreou said:

"I consider that such kind of letters need no answer and, in essence, are letters (sent) in order to create impressions, negative impressions, to provoke a nationalism on both sides of the border, without offering a way out, which exists. There is a way out and we want a way out, we want the solution on concrete bases. A red line which is one, composite, name, with a geographical qualifier for all uses."

The main opposition leader added that "on this basis, there is the United Nations Organisation, there is the possibility of cooperating, something which is in the benefit of both countries. Because I believe that Mr. Gruevski is offering bad services to his country and his people."

Papandreou also referred, in his interview, to current internal political developments.

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© 2008 H KAΘHMEPINH All rights reserved.

Skopje sabotaging talks, FM says

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis yesterday accused the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Gruevski, of intentionally sabotaging talks aimed at resolving the Macedonia name dispute by sending a letter to Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis demanding the recognition of a supposed “Macedonian minority” in Greece.

“What Mr Gruevski is trying to do is undermine negotiations which have been conducted according to very specific conditions,” Bakoyannis said.

She was speaking after an Inner Cabinet session during which ministers discussed how the government should respond to the “highly provocative” letter from Gruevski, which also calls for rights to be granted to current citizens of FYROM who left Greece during the civil war. According to sources, Karamanlis is preparing a “stern response” to the letter which will probably be sent tomorrow.

Earlier yesterday, Greece’s representative Adamantios Vassilakis met in New York with United Nations official Matthew Nimetz who is mediating in talks aimed at breaking the name deadlock. Gruevski’s letter is widely regarded as a serious setback to the progress of these talks.

Yesterday, opposition PASOK’s shadow minister for foreign policy, Andreas Loverdos, said the government should not accord respect to Gruevski’s letter with a direct response but rather send its reply to the FYROM leader via the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. But, according to government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos, “failing to respond to such a provocation would be allowing a challenge against historical truth to go unanswered.”

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Skopje's EU Bid Opens in '09 16 Ιουλ 2008 13:55:0

Sources: ANA-MPA, MIA

Dutch MEP Eric Meijer, the compiler of the progress reports on FYROM, said that accession talks between FYROM and the EU are likely to commence in the first half of 2009.

In his statements broadcast by FYROM’s news agency, Meijer stressed that the opening of the accession talks within 2008 is quite harsh, due to French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s objection to any further EU enlargement and the Greek Government’s persistent stance on the name issue.

Meijer underlined that the Greek side made progress by coming into terms with a composite name and urged the FYROM government not to waste the opportunity for a compromise.

He also termed that the name "Republic of Macedonia" as a perfectly acceptable name, arguing that never did he use the name FYROM.

The Dutch MEP claimed that Greece can influence conditions regarding FYROM’s accession to the EU, yet it cannot influence national and lingual self-determination.

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© 2008 H KAΘHMEPINH All rights reserved.

FYROM politics worry Athens

A decision by the president of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Branko Crvenkovski, not to run for re-election next year yesterday fueled concerns in Athens that the Macedonia name talks would be adversely affected by the withdrawal of the one moderate diplomat in the neighboring country.

The departure of Crvenkovski would clear the way for FYROM’s Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, who has been decidedly intransigent in name talks and increasingly provocative toward Greece, diplomats in Athens said.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis was yesterday reportedly preparing his response to a letter, sent to him by Gruevski, calling for the recognition of a supposed “Macedonian minority” in Greece and the granting of rights to FYROM citizens who left Greece during the civil war.

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Daniel Fried yesterday expressed “exasperation” at this move by Gruevski and noted that he had advised Skopje against raising the minority issue, sources told Kathimerini.

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Mr. Karamanlis' Harsh Answer 18 Ιουλ 2008 08:27:0 (Last updated: 18 Ιουλ 2008 12:39:1)

Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis sent his harsh answer to the provocative letter sent a few days before by Skopje Prime Minister Mr. Nikola Gruevski who spoke of the existence of a "Macedonia" minority in Greece. The Prime Minister in his two page letter stresses that there never has been a "Macedonia" minority in Greece.. In this respect, any allegations regarding the existence of such a minority are totally unfounded, politically motivated and disrespectful of the historic realities of the Region. Mr. Karamanlis also stressed that the letter does not promote negotiations and relations of good neighboring; it raises non-existing and totally unfounded issues which block the efforts of our country, targets at intervening our internal relations and deviates from the goals of the negotiations which are in progress. Mr. Karamanlis concluded that the future of Balkan countries lies in the European and Euro Atlantic institution and not to national rationales, in an era which has passed by and must stay in the past.


The Content of the Letter


Mr. Prime Minister,

As you are aware for the last fifteen years Greece and your country, pursuant to the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council, have committed themselves to negotiations in the framework of the United Nations regarding the name issue which ?needs to be resolved in the interest of the maintenance of peaceful and good neighbourly relations in the region? as stipulated by the Security Council in Resolution 817.

In the past few weeks the Special Envoy of the United Nations Mr. Matthew Nimetz presented some ideas that could move the negotiations forward. I regret that it is precisely at this critical moment in the negotiating effort that you have chosen to send your letter dated July 10th, 2008.

I take this opportunity to underline Greece’s firm commitment to the promotion of friendly and good relations with all its neighbouring countries, especially with the countries of the Western Balkans, and the creation of the necessary conditions that will allow them to join, in the near future, the Euro-Atlantic and European families.

Greece, since 1993 has demonstrated good will, under the auspices of the U.N., to find a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue, which would take into consideration the legitimate interests and sensitivities of both our countries. This is within the mandate of the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions, but also the wish of all countries participating in the Euro-atlantic and European institutions as was also unequivocally stated in the Bucharest NATO Summit and in the EU European Council in Brussels respectively.

Mr. Prime Minister, your letter far from promoting the negotiations and the good neighbourly relations with my country raises a number of non-existent and unsubstantiated issues that militate against the strenuous efforts made by Greece .It also aims at interfering in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring state and deviates from the objectives of the ongoing negotiations.

There is no Macedonian minority in Greece. There never has been. In this respect, any allegations regarding the existence of such a minority are totally unfounded, politically motivated and disrespectful of the historic realities of the Region. As for any properties issue, any individual could make use of any legal recourse before the Courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.


Mr. Prime Minister,

Times have changed. I am convinced that the future of the Balkan countries lies within the European and Euroatlantic institutions and not in nationalist formulas of a bygone era which must be left behind once and for all. Greece remains firmly committed to working towards that goal.

History judges leaders by how they rise to the challenge and assume their responsibilities. Much will depend on your positive attitude and constructive spirit».

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ANA-MPA Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved.

PM reply to Gruevski: There is no 'Macedonian minority'

Prime minister Costas Karamanlis' letter of reply to his FYROM counterpart Nicola Gruevski was delivered on Friday morning to Gruevski's office by the head of Greece's Liaison Office in Skopje, the FYROM capital.

In the letter, Karamanlis notes that Greece and FYROM, in accordance with the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council, have for the past 15 years been committed to UN-brokered negotiations for resolution of the FYROM name issue, and that the UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz has in the past few weeks presented some ideas that could move the negotiations forward.

Karamanlis added his regret, however, that at precisely this critical moment in the negotiating effort, Gruevski had chosen to send the letter in question.

The Greek premier stressed that Greece has, throughout this entire process, demonstrated good will to find a mutually acceptable solution in the name issue, under the UN auspices, which would take into consideration the legitimate interests and sensitivities of both countries, underlining Greece's firm commitment to the promotion of friendly and good relations with all its neighboring countries, especially those of the Western Balkans, and the creation of the necessary conditions that will allow them to join the Euro-Atlantic and European families in the near future.

He warned, however, that Gruevski's letter, far from promoting the negotiations and the good neighbourly relations with Greece, raises a number of non-existent and unsubstantiated issues that militate against the strenuous efforts made by Greece, and also aims at interfering in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring state and deviates from the objectives of the ongoing negotiations.

"There is no 'Macedonian' minority in Greece. There never has been. In this respect, any allegations regarding the existence of such a minority are totally unfounded, politically motivated and disrespectful of the historic realities of the Region. As for any properties issue, any individual could make use of any legal recourse before the Courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg," Karamanlis firmly stressed.

Noting that "times have changed", Karamanlis expressed his conviction that the future of the Balkan countries lies within the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions "and not in nationalist formulas of a bygone era", which he stressed "must be left behind once and for all".

Greece, he continued, remained firmly committed to working towards that goal.

Noting that history judges leaders by how they rise to the challenge and assume their responsibilities. Karamanlis concluded that "much will depend on your positive attitude and constructive spirit».



Karamanlis' letter, full text



Following is the full text of Karamanlis' letter, in reply to a letter addressed to him by Gruevski dated July 10.



«Mr. Prime Minister,



As you are aware for the last fifteen years Greece and your country, pursuant to the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council, have committed themselves to negotiations in the framework of the United Nations regarding the name issue which ?needs to be resolved in the interest of the maintenance of peaceful and good neighbourly relations in the region? as stipulated by the Security Council in Resolution 817.



In the past few weeks the Special Envoy of the United Nations Mr. Matthew Nimetz presented some ideas that could move the negotiations forward. I regret that it is precisely at this critical moment in the negotiating effort that you have chosen to send your letter dated July 10th, 2008.



I take this opportunity to underline Greece’s firm commitment to the promotion of friendly and good relations with all its neighbouring countries, especially with the countries of the Western Balkans, and the creation of the necessary conditions that will allow them to join, in the near future, the Euro-Atlantic and European families.



Greece, since 1993 has demonstrated good will, under the auspices of the U.N., to find a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue, which would take into consideration the legitimate interests and sensitivities of both our countries. This is within the mandate of the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions, but also the wish of all countries participating in the Euro-Atlantic and European institutions as was also unequivocally stated in the Bucharest NATO Summit and in the EU European Council in Brussels respectively.



Mr. Prime Minister, your letter far from promoting the negotiations and the good neighbourly relations with my country raises a number of non-existent and unsubstantiated issues that militate against the strenuous efforts made by Greece .It also aims at interfering in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring state and deviates from the objectives of the ongoing negotiations.



There is no ?Macedonian? minority in Greece. There never has been. In this respect, any allegations regarding the existence of such a minority are totally unfounded, politically motivated and disrespectful of the historic realities of the Region. As for any properties issue, any individual could make use of any legal recourse before the Courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.



Mr. Prime Minister,



Times have changed. I am convinced that the future of the Balkan countries lies within the European and Euroatlantic institutions and not in nationalist formulas of a bygone era which must be left behind once and for all. Greece remains firmly committed to working towards that goal.



History judges leaders by how they rise to the challenge and assume their responsibilities. Much will depend on your positive attitude and constructive spirit».

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ANA-MPA Copyright © 2008 All rights reserved.

PASOK leader address party's national council

Main opposition Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) leader George Papandreou said on Friday that there was no need for Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis answering to a letter by Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) prime minister Nikola Gruevski "because it was clear that the Skopjan premier's aim was to create problems."

Opening the sessions of a national council meeting of his party in Thessaloniki, Macedonia, he said there was "only one issue" separating Greece and FYROM, that of the "name issue" of the landlocked republic, "whose resolution will be to the benefit of all, especially of our northern neighbours."

"Only through a resolution can the doors of NATO and the European Union can open for the neighbouring country," Papandreou underlined.

Regarding the Greek stance on the issue, the main opposition leader reiterated that "the red line proposed by PASOK should be maintained, that is one name for all uses and rejection of every idea for a double name" for FYROM.

Papandreou also charged the government was "responsible for Greece's absence from the international scene," adding that it did not eleborate a strategy "after a painless veto" regarding FYROM's NATO entry, which Athens tabled during the Alliance's Bucharest summit last April.

Turning to internal policy affairs, the PASOK leader said that "at present a responsible and courageous government is needed, which will unite Greeks, as the country is experiencing a great economic, political and moral crisis."

Papandreou criticised at length the government on the entire spectrum of its policies, while referring also to internal PASOK issues such as transparency in its finances.

Reiterating his party's proposals on the economy and proposing a development plan for norhtern Greece, Papandreou said that socialists should send "a message that we can all, together with the citizens, take Greece out of mud and crisis, leading it to a road where the black money will not guide politics and where financial agents will not rule."

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FM to brief EU, UN on FYROM

Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis is expected to send letters to a handful of international leaders regarding the latest eyebrow-raising diplomatic developments in the still festering FYROM "name issue", on the heels of a written response this week by Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis.

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Gruevski note to EC irks Athens

Diplomats expect little interest from Brussels; opposition slams gov’t for ‘opening dialogue’ on minority issue
The government yesterday avoided issuing an official response to news that the prime minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Nikola Gruevski, has sent a letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso complaining about the treatment of a supposed “Macedonian minority” in Greece.

According to reports, Gruevski reiterates in his letter to Barroso the same demands he had outlined in a recent letter to Greek Premier Costas Karamanlis: the recognition of a supposed “Macedonian minority” in Greece and the granting of rights and compensation to FYROM citizens who left Greece during the 1946-49 civil war.

EC officials yesterday told a reporter for Skai Television and Radio in Brussels that EC officials were “studying” Gruevski’s letter to Barroso and that a response was due by this afternoon. Meanwhile, diplomats in Athens said they would be surprised if Barroso honored the letter with a response as the supposed existence of a “Macedonian minority” – in Greece or anywhere else – has never been debated in Brussels.

Government spokesman Theodoros Roussopoulos refused to comment on Gruevski’s letter to Barroso, referring instead to Karamanlis’s written response to the FYROM premier’s earlier letter. “The prime minister has given a clear, uncompromising response,” Roussopoulos said.

But main opposition PASOK criticized the government’s strategy, saying that it had been wrong to honor Gruevski with a response in the first place. “The government has managed to open a dialogue on a non-existent issue,” said PASOK’s shadow minister for foreign affairs, Andreas Loverdos.

Other opposition parties also expressed their disapproval. The Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) said in a statement that Gruevski’s latest move “reveals Skopje’s true intentions... the organized pillaging of Greek history.”

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