Foreign press on the Macedonian issue

[Astoria]

NATO: GREECE CATEGORICAL, "NO INVITATION TO MACEDONIA"

AGI/EFE) - Athens, April 2 - It is unlikely that the NATO summit in Bucharest will result in an agreement to invite FYROMacedonia to become member of the organisation. The Greek FM, Mrs. Dora Bakoyani, said that "there is no time to present a new proposal". "We have already clearly stated" she added before leaving with premier Costas Caramansis to Bucharest, "that without a solution there will be no invitation". Athens fears that, assuming the name of Macedonia, the Republic could then lay claim to the northern province of Greece and therefore threatened to its NATO membership. "Our position is clear" she repeated, "so it cannot coincide with those of other countries". She clearly referred to the USA, which backs FYROMacedonia's membership, as well as that of Albania and Croatia.

[Astoria]

Ok Boys and Girls. I've posted news from Todays headlines and filled up 2 pages worth. To avoid posting things twice, make sure you read all the articles posted today.

TB...I can't find that Bakoyiannis letter she sent to newspapers worldwide. I'm still searching for it and I'll keep an eye out throughout the whole day for that.

[Astoria]

Greece sees 'little chance' for a breakthrough on FYROMacedonia's NATO membership bid

BUCHAREST, Romania: Greece's Foreign Ministry says it sees little chance of a deal that would lead to NATO membership for FYROMacedonia.

Spokesman Giorgos Koumoutsakos told reporters at the NATO summit in Bucharest late Wednesday that he thinks the alliance is "running out of time" in efforts to resolve a dispute over FYROMacedonia's name.

Koumoutsakos says he's usually an optimist, but "this is not the time" to be one.

Greece opposes the former Yugoslav republic's bid for NATO membership because FYROMacedonia is also the name of a northern Greek province, and Greece contends it implies a territorial claim.

Greece's continued opposition makes it unlikely that NATO will offer FYROMacedonia membership at the Bucharest summit.

[Astoria]

Greece Says It Will Block NATO Invite To FYROMacedonia - AFP

BUCHAREST (AFP)--Greece signalled Wednesday that, barring a last-minute compromise, it would veto a formal invitation to FYROMacedonia to join NATO, as the transatlantic alliance opened a three-day summit.

"As long as this important problem (over Macedonia's name) persists, Greece cannot give its consent for the invitation," a Greek foreign ministry spokesman said. "I am afraid that we are running out of time dramatically regarding this summit."

FYROMacedonia - the southernmost of the former Yugoslav republics - is keen to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, but its ambitions have been challenged by neighbor Greece in a dispute over its official name.

Athens says its neighbor's name implies a potential territorial threat to Greece's adjoining region, also called Macedonia.

[Astoria]

A1: NATO requests solution for naming dispute by tomorrow

2 April 2008 | 20:49 | FOCUS News Agency

Bucharest. NATO wants the naming dispute between FYROMacedonia and Greece solved today or no later by tomorrow, the Macedonian TV channel A1 reported, citing the spokesman of the Alliance James Appathurai.
‘All 26 member states want to see the issue closed. As far as I know the dispute between the two countries continues’, Appathurai said.

[Astoria]

A1: Greece cannot allow FYROMacedonia to become NATO member: Greek Foreign Ministry
2 April 2008 | 21:10 | FOCUS News Agency

Skopje. Greece regrets to say that it cannot allow FYROMacedonia to become member of NATO, the Spokesman of the Greek Foreign Ministry Georgios Komutsakos said this evening in Bucharest, the Macedonian TV channel A1 reported.
According to Komutsakos, there are minimal options for a solution to the naming dispute to be found in the next 24 hours.

[zefs]

Listen to what the Albanians are saying!!!! Funny


Macedonia NATO delay would fuel radicals: Albania
Wed Apr 2, 2008 12:35pm EDT Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]
powered by SphereBy David Brunnstrom

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - A delay in inviting Macedonia to join NATO could encourage radicals and fuel instability in the Balkans, Albania's prime minister said, urging compromise to allow a last-minute deal at an alliance summit on Wednesday.

Greece stood by its threat on Wednesday to veto NATO membership for ethnically mixed Macedonia despite pressure from U.S. President George W. Bush to resolve a name dispute.

NATO was due to consider Macedonia's membership invitation along with that of Adriatic neighbors Croatia and Albania at a NATO summit dinner in Bucharest on Wednesday night.

Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha told Reuters he was "very confident" Albania would get an invitation and hoped a compromise could be reached between Greece and Macedonia.

He said a delay for Macedonia would be "a very serious problem" for the whole Balkans region.

"The stability of this neighbor is very crucial for Albania, for Kosovo, for Greece, to Bulgaria, to all its neighbors," he said in an interview.

"My fear is that radicals from all ethnicities there (in Macedonia) could be strengthened," he said. "Both sides have to compromise. I am convinced both countries have some reason to compromise. I hope that they will find a compromise."

Athens has said it will prevent Skopje joining unless it changes its constitutional name, which is the same as Greece's northernmost province, birthplace of Alexander the Great. Continued...
http://www.phantis.com/news/read.htm...20080402131959

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[zefs]

Look what the idiot Bush's stance is.
Nato summit: George Bush abandoned over Ukraine and Georgia

(AFP)
President Viktor Yushchenko of the Ukraine and George Bush walk past the honor guards in Kiev
Michael Evans and Francis Elliott, Bucharest
President Bush was today being abandoned by his closest allies as his appeal for Ukraine and Georgia to be earmarked for Nato membership met with opposition from Britain, France and Germany.

Mr Bush threw down the gauntlet on his last appearance at a Nato summit as US president by urging support for his recommendation that the two former Soviet republics should be welcomed into the official membership action plan - the first step towards joining the alliance.

He had already made his position clear during his brief visit to Kiev before flying on to the summit in Bucharest. But he emphasised the point when he gave a keynote address at a conference in the Romanian capital this morning, before the heads of government gathered for the start of the summit.

American officials at the conference said that any decision to delay offering the action plan process would be seen as a concession to Moscow. President Saakashvili of Georgia has also said that failure by Nato to offer the prospect of membership would amount to appeasement of Russia.
However, other Nato leaders, including Gordon Brown according to senior officials, thought it was premature to put Ukraine and Georgia into the official Nato membership system, even though it can take ten years before a formal invitation is made to join the alliance. The British judgment is that, although there was full support for both Ukraine and Georgia, the question of "when" they joined should remain in the balance.

Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, and President Sarkozy of France are of the same mind.

British officials said Mr Brown was convinced President Bush was not going to win the argument over Georgia and Ukraine and felt it was important to push for a compromise.

A middle path could see the two countries told that Nato membership is theirs for the taking but that a more formal approach would have to wait until the next Nato summit, due to be held in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the alliance.

As the Nato leaders prepared to meet over dinner at the Cotroceni Palace, the late President Ceausescu’s residence, they also found other issues to upset their appetite for Romanian food.

Greece was digging in in its total opposition to having the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) joining the alliance unless it agreed to change its name.

Tomorrow FYROM, Albania and Croatia are due to be invited to join the alliance after successfully completing the membership action plan, increasing the total number of countries to 29.
However, Greece has been threatening to veto FYROM’s membership unless it changes its constitutional name which is the same as Greece’s northern province and the birthplace of Alexander the Great.

American officials said President Bush was “not going to accept no [by the Greeks] for an answer”. However, a second compromise of the evening appeared on the cards. Although FYROM will be invited to join as planned, actual membership does not take place for another 12 months, giving time for Greece to agree on an acceptable name before having to ratify it in parliament.
Afghanistan was to be another key topic over dinner. Although every effort was being made to demonstrate a unified approach, doubts remained over whether alliance members would use the summit to offer more troops. President Sarkozy provided more details of France’s much-publicised offer and Romania also promised additional troops. President Bush reminded other leaders that he was sending “another 3,500 Marines” to southern Afghanistan.

Speaking to reporters on the flight to Bucharest, Mr Brown referred to the importance of Nato members “coming up to the plate” and sharing the military and civilian responsibilities

[zefs]

Boys this is where they get in, and the U.S. lies ,to us screws us over and we can't do shit about it.

[Astoria]

It doesn't matter what bush says. Seeing that bush has power to un-veto a nato members action, other members would not be happy about that for fears that it means members of nato have no real power. therefore their membership is of no relevance. Bush has his opinion but it doesnt stand.