Foreign press on the Macedonian issue

[Draco]

BalkanInsight.com - Macedonia PM Rejects ‘Greek Blackmail’

Gruevski can kiss Karamanlis's ass.

Seriously, these people hate us. Why are we even considering allowing them into NATO?!

If Athens imposes a veto, “Greece would act directly against NATO interests. Greece would damage itself, the region and NATO,” Prime Minister Gruevski said.

I don't get something. Turkey has been constantly imposing a veto to prevent Cyprus from joining NATO, doesn't that damage Turkey, the region and NATO? Gruevski is full of shit.

[Astoria]

In new york we have a saying:

"Get the fok atta hea'"

Gruevski's over-confidence will lead the his countries demise. He knows it and so does everyone else. He also forgot to mention frances stance on this.

[Makedonia25]

FYROM to end contentious talks with Greece over name if NATO bid vetoed

WASHINGTON: The Macedonian foreign minister threatened to end negotiations with Greece over the former Yugoslav republic's name if Macedonia's southern neighbor vetoes its bid to join NATO.

Antonio Milososki also said Monday that chances are small that a deal on the name can be reached before next week's NATO summit.

Greece has insisted that Macedonia change its name, which it says implies territorial claims on the neighboring province of northern Greece that also is called Macedonia. Greece's greatest hero, Alexander the Great, was Macedonian.

U.N. envoy Matthew Nimetz has invited Greek and Macedonian negotiators to New York for talks on Tuesday. The dispute has simmered for 15 years but is reaching a crisis ahead of the NATO summit at which Macedonia will be considered for membership in the alliance along with Albania and Croatia.

The three countries will require the unanimous support of the alliance's 26 members to join. Greece has repeatedly threatened a veto should the talks fail to agree on a name for Macedonia.

"There is still a small hope to get a deal done before the summit," Milososki told The Associated Press by telephone from Skopje.

But should a failure lead to a Greek veto, Macedonia will not continue with talks.

"It would be senseless," Milososki said.

Greece refers to its neighbor to the north as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, the name used by the United Nations and other international organizations. More than 120 countries, including the United States, Russia and Canada, have recognized it as Macedonia.

Macedonian media reported last week that Nimetz proposed three new alternative names for Macedonia in the Vienna talks: Republic of Upper Macedonia, New Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Macedonia (Skopje). But Milososki has called for new ideas.

"We are not prepared to accept any change that will undermine the Macedonian national and linguistic identity," he said. "The name of Macedonia is not just a name, but we consider it to be a cornerstone of our national identity."

He says that one issue is whether Greece insists that any solution be used internationally, not just in relations between the two countries.

Milososki said that Macedonia has not ruled out a broader change that would include the name used in international organizations.

"We will be prepared to consider something that we can consider dignified, reasonable and not undermining our basic rights and identity," he said.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/...nia-Greece.php

[Makedonia25]

FYROM prime minister says will not accept Greek "blackmail" in name dispute

2008-03-25 19:07:30 -

SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) - Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski accused Greece Tuesday of blackmailing his country to change its name, hours before new U.N.-supervised talks on the dispute in New York were scheduled to begin.
Greece has threatened to use an alliance summit next week to block its northern neighbor's bid to join NATO unless
the 17-year dispute is resolved first.
«The situation now is that Greece intends to use its veto if we do not accept its blackmail,» Gruevski said. «We cannot accept a blackmail.»
Athens says Macedonia's name implies claims on a large province in northern Greek, also called Macedonia.
Gruevski warned that Macedonia could break off talks on the issue if Greece blocks its accession bid at the NATO summit, which opens April 2 in Bucharest, Romania.
«From what I can see now, I cannot be too much an optimist,» Gruevski said. «In case of a veto from Greece, the negotiations will enter such a deep crisis that perhaps they will be stopped.
Gruevski said a Greek veto would also «create strong frustrations among Macedonian citizens and will have long term negative consequences in bilateral relations.
Greek and Macedonian negotiators will meet later Tuesday with U.N. envoy Matthew Nimetz in New York for a new round of talks. Previous meetings have failed to produce a breakthrough.
Greece refers to its neighbor to the north as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the name used by the United Nations and other international organizations. More than 120 countries, including the United States, Russia and Canada, have recognized it as Macedonia.

Macedonian media reported last week that Nimetz proposed three new alternative names for Macedonia during a previous round of talks in Vienna: Republic of Upper Macedonia, New Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Macedonia (Skopje).
But Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki has called for new ideas.
«We are not prepared to accept any change that will undermine the Macedonian national and linguistic identity,» he told The Associated Press on Monday. «The name of Macedonia is not just a name, but we consider it to be a cornerstone of our national identity.»

http://www.pr-inside.com/macedonian-...ot-r502108.htm

[Astoria]

Europe News
US wants Greece, FYROMacedonia to end dispute before NATO meets dateline

Washington/New York - The United States urged Greece and FYROMacedonia on Tuesday to resolve their dispute over the latter's name before the NATO summit in Romania next month.

'The time factor is a forcing event and ... they should be coming together to work this out before we get to NATO,' White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

The confrontation between the two countries has threatened FYROMacedonia's prospects for joining the alliance. Greece, a member of NATO, promised to veto FYROMacedonian membership unless the matter is resolved.

NATO was expected to invite FYROMacedonia to join at the summit in Bucharest April 2-4.

The United States in 2004 recognized Macedonia under its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia. The decision irked Athens, which believes the name implies territorial claims to parts of Greece.

FYROMacedonia had been known internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, since separating from Yugoslavia in 1991. International organizations and most countries continue to use the earlier name.

The United States has backed a UN effort to resolve the matter and would likely adopt any new name agreed to through the UN process.

The UN mediator, Matthew Nimetz, recently proposed alternates like New Republic of Macedonia, Upper Macedonia or the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje).

Greek and FYROMacedonian representatives met with Nimetz in New York on Tuesday for further negotiations. The mediator told reporters the two countries were unable to reach a compromise.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com/europe/news/article_1396901.php/US_wants_Greece_Macedonia_to_end_dispute_before_NATO_meets_dateline

[Astoria]

UN Mediator Puts New Proposal On Table On FYROMacedonia's Name



UNITED NATIONS (AP)--A U.N. mediator put a new proposal on the table Tuesday to try to resolve a long-running dispute between Greece and FYROMacedonia over FYROMacedonia's name, which threatens to disrupt NATO's expansion plans.

Matthew Nimitz told reporters after meeting with negotiators from the two countries that he expects their governments to consider the proposal - and there is no deadline.

"It's a new proposal," Nimitz said. "It has a lot of elements of prior proposals. It's not out of the blue."

"Having listened to both sides and heard all the things that they say - what they feel they can accept, what they can't accept, how emphatic they are here and there - I tried to put together something that I thought was a reasonable compromise," he said.

Nimitz refused to disclose any details of his compromise, saying only it was a single proposal with no options.

The dispute has clouded Greek-FYROMacedonian relations for 17 years, with Athens arguing that its neighbor's name implies territorial claims on a northern Greek province that is also called Macedonia.

FYROMacedonia is hoping an invitation to join NATO will be issued during an alliance summit starting April 2 in Bucharest, Romania. But Greece, a NATO member, says it will block FYROMacedonia's membership unless the name dispute is resolved.

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

Nimitz was flanked by the two negotiators, Greek Ambassador Adamantios Vassilakis and FYROMacedonian Ambassador Nicola Dimitrov, who said nothing.

Nimitz said the next step is to wait for a response from the two governments.

"There's no time limit on this process," Nimitz stressed. "I don't believe in giving people deadlines. I don't think that's a useful thing to do. I'm around and I'm in constant touch with the two representatives, and if there were reason for a meeting, I'm always available for a meeting."

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080325\ACQDJON200803252117DOWJONESDJONLINE000622.htm&selected=9999&selecteddisplaysymbol=9999&StoryTargetFrame=_top&mkt=WORLD&chk=unchecked&lang=&link=&headlinereturnpage=http://www.international.na

[Astoria]

UN mediator puts forward name in FYROMacedonia-Greece dispute

New York/Athens - The United Nations has put forward a solution to the longstanding dispute between Greece and FYROMacedonia over the former Yugoslav republic's name, media reports said Wednesday morning. The UN proposal is the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje) to distinguish the Balkan country from the northern province of Greece.

The name is to be written in Cyrillic script.

UN mediator Matthew Nimetz said that he had proposed a "logical compromise" during negotiations Tuesday in New York with Greek and FYROMacedonian representatives, but he did not say what name he had suggested, according to a UN spokesman.

Nimetz had recently proposed alternates like New Republic of Macedonia, Upper Macedonia or the Republic of Macedonia (Skopje).

The mediator told reporters the two countries were unable to reach a compromise, but he offered his services for further mediation.

The confrontation between the two countries has threatened FYROMacedonia's prospects for joining NATO.

Greece, a member of the alliance, promised to veto FYROMacedonian membership unless the matter is resolved.

NATO was expected to invite FYROMacedonia to join at the summit in Bucharest April 2-4.

The United States in 2004 recognized FYROMacedonia under its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia. The decision irked Athens, which believes the name implies territorial claims to parts of Greece.

FYROMacedonia had been known internationally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, since separating from Yugoslavia in 1991. International organizations and most countries continue to use the earlier name.

The United States urged the two sides on Tuesday to resolve their dispute before the NATO summit.
"The time factor is a forcing event and ... they should be coming together to work this out before we get to NATO," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.

[Astoria]

Nimetz: Possibility for reasonable compromise



26 March 2008 | 10:38 | FOCUS News Agency
New York. A new proposal on the name, which will serve as a ground for a reasonable compromise has been tabled Tuesday at the latest round of UN-led talks between Athens and Skopje at the UN Headquarters in New York, FYROMacedonian Makfax informed.

The new proposal is a foundation for a reasonable compromise, UN envoy Matthew Nimetz said after the talks in New York.

The proposal contains geographical dimension and it is close to stands of both countries and is a good opportunity for a reasonable compromise.
The negotiators from FYROMacedonia and Greece - Nikola Dimitrov and Adamantios Vassilakis - made no statements to reporters. They will notify their governments about Nimetz's new proposal.

A negotiated settlement of the name issue is to be reached by April 3, when FYROMacedonia is expected to join NATO at the Alliance's summit in Bucharest. Greece, however contests FYROMacedonia's NATO bid threatening to veto FYROMacedonia's admission over name differences.

[Astoria]

Geographic determinant’ solution proposed to solve FYROMacedonia name dispute
12:47 Wed 26 Mar 2008 - Clive Leviev-Sawyer

Matthew Nimetz, the mediator seeking to get Athens and Skopje to agree on a compromise name for FYROMacedonia, has offered a “draft name with a geographic determinant”, according to a report by Macedonia Radio and Television (MRT).

Speaking after a meeting at United Nations headquarters in New York, involving FYROMacedonian negotiator Nikola Dimitrov and his Greek counterpart Ademantios Vassilakis, Nimetz declined to give the precise name but said that it “included elements from previous proposals. It is not 100 per cent of Skopje’s and Athens’s wishes, but I hope that the countries’ governments will seriously review it as a possibility for a reasonable compromise”.

MRT reported that Nimetz said that the name “with a geographic dimension” could represent a basis for a fair solution. He said that there was no time limit to the negotiating process, and if needed, a new meeting could be scheduled.

Many observers have noted that the latest negotiations are taking place against the background of the Nato summit in Bucharest, beginning on April 2, at which FYROMacedonia is expecting to be invited to join the alliance. However, unless a compromise on FYROMacedonia’s name is reached, Greek could veto a membership invitation.

The next scheduled discussions are to take place at the European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Slovenia on March 29 and 30.

The online edition of Greek daily Kathimerini reported on March 26 that FYROMacedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski had said before the talks at the UN that Greece was trying to “blackmail” FYROMacedonia about the name issue.

Referring to the apparent trade-off of a compromise over the name in return for Greek not blocking the Nato membership invitation, Gruevski said: “The situation now is that Greece intends to use its veto if we do not accept its blackmail. We cannot accept blackmail.”

Gruevski said that FYROMacedonia would not go ahead with any further talks with Greece if Athens decided to use its veto.

Kathimerini reported Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis as responding: “Mr Gruevski’s comments, just a few hours before today’s crucial meeting within the UN framework, do not help the whole effort as they predict a negative outcome. We believe in this process and will not follow this line of thinking.”

Bakoyannis indicated that time was running out for finding a solution to the dispute before the Nato, summit but that a “consensual, practical and enforceable” compromise could be reached.

[Astoria]

Greece: UN FYROMacedonia Compromise Far From Acceptable - AFP

ATHENS (AFP)--Greece said Wednesday a U.N.-suggested compromise on its 17-year row over the right to the use of the name FYROMacedonia with the former Yugoslav republic was "far from mutually acceptable."

Athens and Skopje have been at a diplomatic stalemate since 1992, when FYROMacedonia broke from the former Yugoslavia and claimed the same name as the northern Greek province.

The issue risks holding up FYROMacedonia's bid to open negotiations on joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at next week's summit in Bucharest.

After talks at the U.N. in New York, a statement from the Greek foreign ministry sounded a skeptical note.

"We are studying the proposal. The first conclusion is that we are far from a mutually acceptable solution," a statement on behalf of Foreign Minister Georges Koumoutsakos said. "Efforts continue."

There has been no official description of the possible compromise. The Greek press Wednesday reported it suggested the ex-Yugoslav Macedonia calling itself " the Republic of Macedonia-Skopje."

Opening talks on Tuesday the U.N. mediator Matthew Nimetz said: "A solution that works has to be a compromise, so it's not 100% what either Athens or Skopje would like but I think what I suggested to the parties is fair, I think it's honorable, it has a geographic dimension."

Nimetz said he hadn't imposed a deadline on the two parties to respond.

Skopje wants to join NATO under the name Macedonia rather than as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, under which it was admitted to the U.N. in 1993.

But Athens has threatened to block the Balkan state's bid if it insists on the name FYROMacedonia, which Greece fears would imply Skopje has a claim on its province.

The Greek region and the former Yugoslav republic share a lengthy border.