'Makfax' and other FYROM press on the Macedonian issue

[Tsontos]

From Idividi:

NATO Bucharest 2008 - Dimitrov: After Bucharest Macedonia will decide on name talks future

Bucharest, April 3 (MIA) - Despite the fact that Bucharest Summit extended no invitation to Macedonia, NATO Ambassadors will ask the country to join in, without waiting for a new meeting, once the name problem with Greece is settled, said Nikola Dimitrov, Macedonian representative in name talks.

- This is not only a defeat for us, but also for the Alliance's interests and finally for Greece, Dimitrov said.

Asked about the fate of name talks, Dimitrov said it was up to a decision of Macedonian authorities.

- The international law says that when one party fails to respect its obligation of an agreement, the other one has several options, Dimitrov said.

Leaving Macedonia without NATO membership invitation sends a bad message to the region, Dimitrov said, adding that there could be no final formula or the region's stability without Macedonia, which at the moment is not its part.

- All reforms have been directed to and motivated by NATO, EU membership. But when such membership is uncertain, i.e. when the door is not opened as it has been, part of these (reform) activities will be more difficult, Dimitrov said.

From Makfax:

US to guarantee Macedonia's security



Bucharest /04/04/ 08:54

Macedonia and the United States will sign a bilateral military-technical agreement in which the United States would guarantee the security of Macedonia.

Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki will be heading to Washington soon for talks with the U.S. officials regarding the details of the treaty.

The deal was reached after NATO failed to issue an invitation to Macedonia to join the alliance along with Albania and Croatia.

Macedonia was left out due to Greek veto at the summit in Bucharest. Greece remained adamantly opposed to Macedonia's NATO entry, although the country meets the membership criteria, insisting that name dispute must be resolved beforehand.

[Tsontos]

From Makfax:

Gruevski kicks off consultations with experts over Greek veto

Skopje /08/04/ 12:33

Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski today will meet with renowned experts in fields spanning international relations, international public law and political sciences.

The consultations with domestic experts will focus on the current situation in Macedonia following Greek decision to block Macedonia's admission to NATO at the summit in Bucharest last week.

On Monday, PM Gruevski met with leaders of major political parties - Menduh Thaci of DOPA, Ali Ahmeti of DUI and Radmila Sekerinska of SDSM.

PM Gruevski briefed the political leaders about the participation of Macedonian delegation in NATO summit in Bucharest and the Adriatic Group (A3) meeting in Zagreb.

Again from Makfax:

Solana - solution on name to be sought under UN auspice

Brussels /08/04/ 19:20

The issue of the name of Macedonia is a perennial topic and the best option is to conduct negotiations under UN auspice, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Tuesday.

He expressed hopes that the negotiation process between Skopje and Athens would speed up in order to reach a solution even before the year's end.

Solana pointed out at some of the proposals on the name put forward by the mediator Matthew Nimetz.

"There is an idea to append a word to the name. Although it has not been clarified yet, it could represent a compromise step toward reaching an agreement between Macedonia and Greece on the name differences," said the EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

[zefs]

Greece focuses on "New Macedonia"

Athens /14/04/ 13:52

As Athens and Skopje brace for a fresh round of UN-mediated talks on the name dispute, the Greek government now prefers the composite name New Macedonia rather than Upper Macedonia, which it had favored for its geographical dimension.

According to Greek daily Kathimerini, the abrupt change of tune in Athens has been prompted by a report from eminent Greek academics citing extracts from the writings of ancient scholars Herodotus and Thucydides – and from the speeches of ancient warrior Alexander the Great – which refer to Upper Macedonia.

The Upper Macedonia mentioned in these texts corresponds to four Greek prefectures, the report says, and so could fuel irredentism, Kathimerini daily said.

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis did not mention any shift in strategy on the Macedonia name issue on Saturday during a speech before New Democracy’s central committee. However he did reiterate his appeal to the authorities in Skopje to return to the negotiating table.

The latest opinion poll shows that vast majority of Greeks remain steadfastly opposed to a composite name for the neighboring country - "New" or "Upper Macedonia". They insist that the name of neighboring country does not contain the word Macedonia. /end/

maknews.com

[zefs]

Macedonia, Greece to continue talks on name

Skopje /29/04/ 08:42

Macedonia and Greece will continue the talks on name difference in New York on Tuesday, media said citing government sources.

Macedonian negotiator Nikola Dimitrov will meet with the UN mediator Matthew Nimetz on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Nimetz also will meet with Greek negotiator Adamantios Vassilakis.

Nimetz is unlikely to put forward a new proposal on the name. He will listen to the stands of both countries.

UN mediator is expected to come up with a new framework later. The new framework will serve as a roadmap on future negotiations.

Greek media said Nimetz could put forward a new proposal after Easter. /end/

Copyright 2008 makfax. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

[zefs]

Greek PM comes back from Russia empty handed
Greece could have achieved much more over the name of Macedonia during the meetings with the Russian top officials in Moscow.


The Greek ultra-nationalist party LAOS came up with this statement, regarding the outcome of the talks on the name issue between the Greek PM Costas Karamanlis and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the electronic edition of Athens' daily Naftemporiki reported.


LAOS accused Karamanlis of failing to react when Putin named Macedonia under its constitutional name.

"Russia's pledge to support a mutually acceptable solution on the name differences is not something real. What will happen if Skopje authorities' intransigence goes on forever? Does it mean that Russia will hold on to the decision to recognize Macedonia's constitutional name forever?" LAOS is wondering in the statement published in Naftemporiki.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/1207/1/

[Tsontos]

Originally Posted by zefs

Greek PM comes back from Russia empty handed
Greece could have achieved much more over the name of Macedonia during the meetings with the Russian top officials in Moscow.


The Greek ultra-nationalist party LAOS came up with this statement, regarding the outcome of the talks on the name issue between the Greek PM Costas Karamanlis and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the electronic edition of Athens' daily Naftemporiki reported.


LAOS accused Karamanlis of failing to react when Putin named Macedonia under its constitutional name.

"Russia's pledge to support a mutually acceptable solution on the name differences is not something real. What will happen if Skopje authorities' intransigence goes on forever? Does it mean that Russia will hold on to the decision to recognize Macedonia's constitutional name forever?" LAOS is wondering in the statement published in Naftemporiki.

http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/1207/1/

macedoniaonline.eu is really a farcicle site. Making a headline and story Karatzaferis' comments about the Russia trip.

[Tsontos]

From makfax:

Nimetz to visit Macedonia, Greece next week

Skopje /02/05/ 11:34

UN mediator Matthew Nimetz will visit Macedonia and Greece next week.

The visit of the UN envoy, who mediates in perennial naming dispute between Macedonia and Greece, comes after this week's separate meetings in New York with Macedonian negotiator Nikola Dimitrov and Greek negotiator Adamantios Vassilakis.

News reports say this week's consultations in New York will produce no new proposal on the name issue. The talks will be held at higher level, most probably at ministerial level, as soon as Macedonia wraps up the parliamentary elections.

Even though mediator Nimetz claims there are no deadlines for a negotiated settlement of the name issue, July 9 is widely seen as an informal deadline for the two countries to come to a solution. Macedonia must find a compromise by this deadline if it wants to catch up with Croatia and Albania in NATO accession talks. If invited to join, Macedonia must make up the lost time in the process of ratification of NATO membership by national parliaments of Alliance members.

Greece continues to pile pressure on Macedonia. Recently, Greece has banned the transfer of money from, and to Macedonia. All funds from the Western Union and the Greek national bank have been blocked. Previously, Greek authorities banned Macedonian airliner MAT flights over Greece. Greek authorities also recalled lamb meat imports from Macedonia.

The number of Macedonian citizens traveling to Greece for Easter holidays was 10 times lower comparing with the previous years. The worsening of relations between the two countries triggered a decline in Macedonians' trips to Greece.

[zefs]

Greece is against Macedonia holding a referendum on its name

Athens will not agree to a settlement of the name issue if the authorities in Skopje put such a settlement to a referendum, conservative Kathimerini daily said on Monday.


The paper quotes the Foreign Ministry as saying that Greece does not regard an agreement something that is submitted to any kind of review process. The same sources say the eventual referendum is a domestic affair, but the referendum should be held prior not after the agreement on name differences.

"Greece demands guarantees on basis of a decision by the UN Security Council. The veto on NATO entry remains in force, and the same goes for Skopje's EU accession talks," Kathimerini said in commentary headlined Macedonia stance a worry for Athens.

Athens has been angered by Macedonia's assertion, expressed by Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, that Skopje would put any name settlement to a referendum.

 
 http://macedoniaonline.eu/content/view/1255/1/

[zefs]

A name to Reckon with
The recent Greek veto of the Republic of Macedonia's NATO membership during the NATO Bucharest Summit earlier this month was unfounded and contrary to the principles of NATO and its member states.

Macedonia fulfilled all of the membership criteria set forth by NATO and all other NATO members supported its admission into the alliance. Despite not yet being a member of the Alliance, Macedonia participates in NATO operations in Bosnia and Afghanistan.

Macedonia also recently assumed command of NATO's former host nation support coordination center that provides logistical support for KFOR forces in Kosovo, and Macedonia is participating in combat operations alongside American forces in Iraq.

Greece's claims that it seeks a "mutually acceptable" solution to the "name dispute" and that it wants "good and neighborly" relations with Macedonia were betrayed by its veto and its acts since the NATO Summit. These acts have been carried out with disturbing bravado following Greece's self-proclaimed "success" at the Summit.

It was Greece, not Macedonia, that rejected the most recent proposal to resolve the "name dispute." Moreover, Greece's veto violated the 1995 Interim Accord that it signed with Macedonia, which binds Greece's right to veto Macedonia's NATO bid or any other international organization that Macedonia would like to join as long as it joins under the U.N. provisional reference term used to identify Macedonia.

It is now clear that Greece does not seek a "mutually acceptable" solution, but only a unilaterally imposed solution mandated to Macedonia by Greece. Having failed on all other fronts to prevail in the "name dispute," Greece believes it can abuse its NATO and EU membership to extort further concessions from Macedonia. In pursuing its bully diplomacy against Macedonia, Greece has sacrificed NATO interests and prestige in the region and jeopardized regional peace and stability simply to satisfy its pedantic objection to Macedonia's name.

Since the Bucharest Summit, Greece has distanced itself even further from the last proposal advanced by U.N. Ambassador Matthew Nimetz.

Additionally, in moves eerily reminiscent of the illegal Greek trade embargo against Macedonia from 1991 to 1995, Greece recently banned the import of meat from Macedonia into Greece and barred Macedonian Airlines Transport(MAT), a private company, from flying into or over Greece.

The rationale is that the meat is labeled as coming from the Republic of Macedonia and MAT includes the word "Macedonian" in its name. These are hardly the actions of a nation claiming it seeks "good and neighborly" relations with its neighbor.

In addition, most appalling, was Greece's attempt to literally buy its way out of the "dispute" when the Greek foreign minister announced Greece would make substantial foreign aid available to Macedonia if Macedonia simply capitulated to Greece and allowed Greece to dictate a new name for Macedonia.

As ridiculous as Greece's actions and posturing are, they are nothing new. Greece has pursued a policy of negating everything Macedonian and eradicating the Macedonian culture and national identity within its borders and in the wider region ever since Greece acquired a portion of geographic Macedonia because of the 1913 Treaty of Bucharest.

To this day, Greece denies the existence of a large Macedonian minority in northern Greece though numerous U.S. State Department Reports, Human Rights Watch Reports, and other independent nongovernmental organizations have confirmed its existence time after time.

Recent claims by the Political Party of Macedonian Minority in Greece, Rainbow, put the number of Macedonians in northern Greece at nearly 200,000. However, the Greek government continues to claim these people do not exist and indeed that Macedonians either inside or outside of Greece do not exist.

Greece's objections to Macedonia's name are not based on the Greek delusion of a direct link to an ancient Macedonian king nor on Greece's false claims that Macedonia harbors an expansionist agenda, but only on Greece's refusal to acknowledge the existence of the Macedonian people. Indeed, Greece hopes to impose a solution to the "dispute" under which Macedonians will be called something, anything, other than Macedonians.

One would hope Greece would not want to be considered complicit in a current long line of minority rights violations, human rights abrogations and political rights concerns.

The United States has been a beacon of light for democracy and human rights, and one would hope that just as the U.S. has taken the plight of Tibetans into consideration in regards to its relations with China, the same respect should be taken in its relations with Greek authorities of the rights of the Macedonian minority in Greece.

The United States should continue to support Macedonia's name and NATO membership.

Metodija A. Koloski is president of United Macedonian Diaspora, an international nongovernmental organization addressing the interests and needs of Macedonians and Macedonian communities throughout the world.

[Tsontos]

Guys when posting links to articles from propagandistic sites like macedonionline.eu and makfax, just post the link within code (the button to the right of the quote button) so as not link and help out their sites.