Foreign press on the Macedonian issue

[Truth Bearer]

Macedonia urges UN to offer "more appropriate" ideas on name issue

www.chinaview.cn 2008-03-20 05:27:14 Print

TIRANA, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki said Wednesday he hoped the UN mediator could come up with "more appropriate" ideas to help solve name dispute between Macedonia and Greece.

"We believe that Mr. Matthew Nimetz is still able to offer more appropriate ideas that will help provide more opportunities for both sides to make progress in talks," news reaching here from Skopje quoted Milososki as saying.

It was reported that Nimetz proposed three new alternative names for Macedonia in the Vienna talks on Monday -- Republic of Upper Macedonia, New Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Macedonia (Skopje).

Milososki stressed that Macedonia will resume active participation in the talks with Greece under the auspices of the UN mediator.

Macedonia and its southern neighbor Greece is being engaged in a name dispute which broke out shortly after Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Greece has said the country's name, the Republic of Macedonia, implies a territorial claim over the northern Greek province of Macedonia and could destabilize the region.

Greece has threatened to use its NATO-member status to veto Macedonia's accession efforts at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, capital of Romania, if there is no agreement on the name issue by then.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/20...nt_7823446.htm

[akritas]

FYROMacedonia's Albanians back compromise in name row

By Benet Koleka

TIRANA (Reuters) - Ethnic Albanians in FYROM are urging the FYROMacedonian government to reach a deal with Greece on the country's name to avoid losing an invitation to join NATO, according to senior politicians.

Ethnic Albanians make up a quarter of FYROM's 2 million people and feel that a future in NATO will not only help FYROM progress, but also advance their own bid for more rights as equal partners in its multi-ethnic society.

They believe the best bet against FYROM breaking up in ethnic conflict, as it nearly did in 2001 during a six-month Albanian insurgency, is NATO and European Union membership.


"The Albanians are in a very delicate position about this because if we offer a compromise we could be misunderstood by the Slavmacedonians as being ready to sell their identity," Menduh Thaci, head of the Democratic Party of Albanians, said during a visit to Tirana.

His party quit the ruling coalition last week in a row over Albanian minority rights, plunging Slavmacedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's 18-month-old government into crisis.

"Their identity is very important for them but the road towards European and NATO is much more important for us," Thaci said. "We have backed the FYROM position on the condition of reaching a compromise for the sake of an invitation to NATO."

European Union and NATO member Greece objects to the name of Macedonia because it is the same as its northern region, birthplace of ancient Greek hero Alexander the Great.

The party leaders said a ticket to NATO was crucial for FYROM. Not getting an invitation to join would hurt its chances of a visa-free regime with the EU, cause a deep political crisis, and worsen inter-ethnic relations, Ademi said.

FYROM's Albanians had wanted to see use of Albanian as an official language and rehabilitation of the 2001 conflict veterans as terms FYROM had to meet to qualify for NATO.

But the issue was eclipsed by the name row, forcing Thaci's party to quit the government, he said.

In private, said a political source, "the Albanians told the Slavmacedonians that getting into NATO was so important they could name the country after a soft drink".

"The Slavmacedonians replied that NATO membership came up each year while their country's name is thousands of years old."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsM...BrandChannel=0

[Astoria]

Greece, Macedonia underline will to solve name row Published: Saturday, 22 March, 2008, 02:16 AM Doha Time

BRUSSELS: The Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers underlined their commitment yesterday to resolve a dispute over Macedonia’s name, a Greek statement issued after US-brokered talks between the two said.
Macedonia hopes within weeks to resolve the dispute to ease entry into Nato and its EU accession process. Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia’s Nato entry unless it changes its name, which is the same as Greece’s northernmost province.
“It was a useful discussion and a sincere exchange of views,” said the statement from a Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman after Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni met Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki in Brussels.
“The two ministers underlined the commitment of the two governments to reach a solution,” the statement said.
Nato and the European Union are eager to see a solution to the row for the sake of stability in the Balkans. The two sides were brought together in Brussels by US Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried.
The statement said they looked forward to meeting with UN envoy Matthew Nimetz on March 25 in New York.
Bakoyanni told a briefing she did not know if it would be possible to reach an agreement then, but said Greece “has the will to be constructive and to work towards a solution”.
“We are looking for a mutually acceptable solution. We believe that we can find it if the goodwill is there,” she said.
“We want a name that will make the difference between the whole geographical Macedonia and what the former republic of Macedonia today covers. I think this is fair and clear and it is important for regional stability.”
Skopje uses the name Macedonia in bilateral ties with the US, Russia, China and Canada but at the UN it is called “The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”. Nato and the EU also use the acronym FYROM.
Macedonia hopes an April 2-4 Nato summit will invite it to join the 26-member military alliance alongside Croatia and Albania, whose invitations were agreed in principle in March.
Bakoyanni said she was “neither optimistic nor pessimistic” about an agreement by the summit. Asked if there was increased will, she said: “I think it is an important issue for both our people and I think that the will is there.”
Nato diplomats say they expect the issue to go down to the wire at the Bucharest summit, and possibly be resolved only after the opening dinner on April 2.
The Macedonians have said they would be willing to use a hybrid name in relations with Greece but not internationally, internally or in bilateral dealings with other states, a Nato diplomat said.
The Greeks have said they do not mind if Macedonia uses the name of its choice internally but it must use a hybrid name internationally, the source said. – Reuters

[Astoria]

Greece, Macedonia determined to solve row
The Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers underlined their commitment on Friday to resolve a dispute over Macedonia's name, a Greek statement issued after US-brokered talks between the two said.





Macedonia hopes within weeks to resolve the dispute to ease entry into NATO and its EU accession process. Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia's NATO entry unless it changes its name, which is the same as Greece's northernmost province. "It was a useful discussion and a sincere exchange of views," said the statement from a Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman after Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni met Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki in Brussels. "The two ministers underlined the commitment of the two governments to reach a solution," the statement said. NATO and the European Union are eager to see a solution to the row for the sake of stability in the Balkans. The two sides were brought together in Brussels by US Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried. The statement said they looked forward to meeting with UN envoy Matthew Nimetz on March 25 in New York. Bakoyanni told a briefing she did not know if it would be possible to reach an agreement then, but said Greece has the will to be constructive and to work towards a solution.

[Astoria]

Greek, Macedonian FMs meet in Brussels
Politics 3/21/2008 11:48:00 PM



BRUSSELS, March 21 (KUNA) -- Both Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers held her Friday "useful and sincere" talks on how to resolve a dispute over the name issue.
The Belgian news agency (Belga) hailed the meeting between Greekn Dora Bakoyannis and Macedonian Antonio Milososki, in which they exchanged views on the issue, as embodying both governments' desire to reach a solution.
Both sides are looking forward to a planned UN-facilitated meeting in New York on March 25, aiming to resolve the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia so that the latter can enter NATO accession talks at the military bloc's summit in Bucharest on April 2-4.
Greece has recently warned that it will use its veto against such negotiations if the former Yugoslavian republic opposes a compromise over its name, which is the same as Greece's northernmost province.
Athens announced earlier on Thursday that both Greek and Macedonian foreign ministers would meet together here on Friday in the presence of US Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried.
Macedonia hopes for a resolution to the row in time for the April 2-4 NATO summit in Bucharest to invite it to join the 26-member military alliance alongside Croatia and Albania, whose invitations were agreed in principle in March.
NATO and the European Union are eager to see a solution to the row for the sake of stability in the Balkans. (end) tm.mt KUNA 212348 Mar 08NNNN

[Truth Bearer]

Greece gives a determined 'No' to Macedonia's NATO membership unless it changes name

The Associated Press
Thursday, March 20, 2008
TIRANA, Albania: Greece maintained its threat to veto Macedonia's efforts to join NATO Thursday, less than two weeks before a crucial NATO summit in Romania.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said Athens will not allow its northern neighbor to join the alliance unless a dispute over Macedonia's name is resolved. Macedonia hopes to be asked to join NATO at the April 2-4 summit in Bucharest.

Athens argues that its neighbor's name implies territorial claims on the northern Greek province of the same name.

Greece refers to its neighbor as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, the name used by the U.N. and other international organizations. But more than 120 countries, including the U.S., Russia and Canada, have recognized it as Macedonia.

Bakoyannis, who spoke during an official visit to Albania, said Greece would support NATO membership bids by Croatia and Albania at the summit.

"We are supporting Albania. We are supporting Croatia. We will not accept FYROM" unless the name issue is resolved, she said.

U.N. envoy Matthew Nimetz has invited Greek and Macedonian negotiators to New York for further talks next week.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...donia-NATO.php

[Astoria]

Greece and Macedonia Confirm Commitment to Solving Name Dispute


The Foreign Ministers of Greece and Macedonia confirmed on Saturday their intention to solve the dispute over the name of the former Yugoslavian Republic.

The announcement was made by the Greek Foreign Ministry after a meeting between the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Dora Bakoyannis and her Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki that took place in Brussels in the presence of the US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried.

A meeting of the negotiators of the two sides Adamandios Vasilakis and Nikola Dimitrov with the UN mediator Matthew Nimitz has been scheduled for next week. It will be the last round of negotiations before the NATO Bucharest Summit on April 2-4, and Athens still threatens it may block Macedonia's invitation to join NATO unless the name dispute is settled.

Greece disputes Macedonia's name because one of its northern region has the same name. It has already blocked Macedonia's recognition by the UN under its constitutional name, and that is why the latter is recognized by the world organizations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

The Greek newspaper Vima wrote Saturday that the two sides would most likely agree on the name "Nova (New) Macedonia", because it was relatively neutral.
The negotiations are taking place under the auspices of the USA, which is eager to get the issue done with before the forthcoming NATO summit.

[Truth Bearer]

Progress in Name Dispute: Greece and Macedonia

Source:MAcedonia Information Agency

- Macedonian and Greek Foreign Ministers Antonio Milososki and and Dora Bakoyiannis respectively held talks Friday in Brussels, in the attendance of U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried, in an attempt to find a mutually acceptable solution to the name dispute.

The meeting was initiated by high-ranking US diplomats.

"Macedonia has clear arguments, clear positions, clear goal and will to remain constructively included in the negotiating process. Our goal is NATO integration, FM Antonio Milososki stated after the meeting.

"Several viewpoints were presented by the U.S. at the meeting. I think they worth to be conveyed in our capitals, to countries' top state officials and the leaders of relevant political parties to be informed about them, said Milososki.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyiannis said Friday she had "useful" talks with Macedonian counterpart Antonio Milososki regarding the resolution of the 17-year-long name dispute over Macedonia's constitutional name, reports Agence France Presse (AFP).

"It was a useful discussion and an honest exchange of ideas that underlines the will of both governments to reach a solution", said Bakoyiannis, reading a written statement after today's meeting in the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to NATO near Brussels. She added that both parties expect the Nimetz meeting in New York on March 25.

"We did not sign anything. There is neither an agreement, nor a memorandum", informed Bakoyiannis after the three-hour meeting.

"I believe we can find a solution if there is good will. Both countries realize this is an important issue", she added without giving more details on the meeting, which was attended by U.S. Assistant State Secretary Daniel Fried.

"Both ministers now return to their respective governments to discuss on various ideas, followed by the meeting of the two negotiators with Nimetz in New York", stressed Greek FM Bakoyiannis.

AFP cites an unnamed U.S. diplomat, who says talks were "good". ba/ik/fd/18:00


Macrh 22, 2008

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=53733#

[Astoria]

A1, Macedonia: Nikola Dimitrov gets instructions about name talks



23 March 2008 | 10:38 | FOCUS News Agency



Skopje. The meeting between FYRMacedonia’s President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and the country’s negotiator in the name talks Nikola Dimitrov ended on Saturday afternoon, the FYRMacedonian A1 television announced.
At the meeting Dimitrov received instructions about FYRMacedonia’s position in the next round of negotiations with Greece about FYRMacedonia’s name. The meeting in the President’s Office comes after the Brussels meeting between Minister Milososki and his Greek counterpart Dora Bakoyannis, which was also attended by U.S. ambassador to NATO Victoria Nuland and U.S. Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, the television adds.

[Truth Bearer]

Milososki and Bakoyannis commit to resolving Macedonian-Greek name dispute
23/03/2008

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and her Macedonian counterpart, Antonio Milososki, held talks in Brussels on Friday (March 21st). The meeting was organised by the United States and attended by US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried and the US Ambassador to NATO, Victoria Nuland.

In a statement afterwards, the two ministers pledged their commitment to resolving the longstanding name dispute between their countries. "We had an exchange of ideas that underlined the will of the two governments to reach a solution," Bakoyannis told reporters. Milososki, for his part, said that "things are moving slowly," but added that hope should not be lost. UN-mediated talks on resolving the dispute will continue on Tuesday, after the two diplomats brief their governments on the meeting's results.

Also in the news, White House Press Secretary for US President George Bush, Dana Perino, said that Bush is optimistic there will be a positive outcome to the negotiations before the NATO summit in April. (Kathimerini, Makfax, Dnevnik, ANA-MPA, AP, BalkanInsight, DPA - 21/03/08)

http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setime...08/03/23/nb-01