NATO eyes entry offer to Balkans hopefuls

[TirAlb]

NATO eyes entry offer to Balkans hopefuls

By Mark John

BRUSSELS, March 4 (Reuters) - NATO foreign ministers on Thursday discuss possible membership invitations to Croatia, Albania and Macedonia as part of alliance efforts to nurture stability in the Balkans after Kosovo's secession from Serbia.

Diplomats tip Croatia as most likely to win an invitation. Question marks still hang over Albanian and Macedonia, with Macedonia facing a Greek threat to block its bid in a long-standing row over its name.

Any formal invitations will go out at a summit in April where alliance leaders may also signal a readiness to work on closer ties with other countries of the former Yugoslavia, notably Bosnia and Montenegro.

No such rapprochement is due with Serbia, at loggerheads with the West over Kosovo's independence move last month. The alliance will instead reaffirm a longstanding policy that NATO is ready for closer ties whenever Serbia is.

"It is important how NATO is going to relate to the region in general," NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in the run-up to Thursday's meeting, which comes as analysts note growing Russian efforts to wield influence in the region.

Violent incidents in northern Kosovo and a growing boycott by local Serbs of Kosovo institutions have raised fears of a de facto partition of the Serb-dominated north from the rest of the overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian country.

NATO commanders have reinforced the alliance's 16,000-plus security force and say the situation is under control for now.

Yet efforts to deepen NATO ties across the region have hit a potential stumbling block over the threat by alliance member Greece to block Macedonia's entry in a row over its name.

Greece rejects the name Macedonia, saying it implies territorial ambitions by its neighbour against its own northern province of Macedonia, birthplace of Alexander the Great.

While Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski has stressed that changing the name of his country is too high a price to pay for NATO membership, de Hoop Scheffer appealed to Macedonia during a trip to Athens on Monday to help settle the dispute.



JUST CROATIA?

If Greece makes good on its threat to block Macedonia's bid, it could have knock-on effects for Albania, with some NATO capitals arguing that it would be better to also postpone any invitation to Albania so that Macedonia was not left behind.

That would mean the NATO summit in Bucharest issuing a single invitation to Croatia, widely viewed as the most advanced candidate in terms of the reforms needed for membership.

"There is no consensus in the alliance on this at the moment. This is something we hope the foreign ministers will try to resolve," said one senior NATO diplomat.

Ministers will also study whether to put alliance ties with Bosnia and Montenegro on a more advanced footing than the entry into NATO's "Partnership for Peace" programme they won alongside Serbia at a summit in late 2006.

The next stage for the two tiny Balkans states would be the launch of a so-called "intensified dialogue" -- the final step before NATO and any aspiring member work on the details of a plan for accession.

Last month's request by Ukraine's pro-Western leadership to offer the ex-Soviet state such a Membership Action Plan (MAP) will also be discussed on Thursday.

Supporters of Ukraine's aspirations -- including countries from the former communist east who joined NATO in past enlargement waves -- have in recent weeks stepped up calls for it to receive a MAP at the Bucharest summit.

But the United States has yet to make its position clear and a number of western European countries led by Germany and France are reluctant, pointing to the low popular support for NATO in Ukraine and raising concerns that the step would exacerbate tensions between NATO and Russia. (Reporting by Mark John; editing by Keith Weir)

Interesting,he says that the greek veto,could freeze Albanias invitation,aswell.

[Makedonia25]

Originally Posted by TirAlb

Interesting,he says that the greek veto,could freeze Albanias invitation,aswell.

Yep, and to be fair.. It should.. Both Albania and FYROM are at the same stage on their reforms.. Croatia on the other hand, seems a long way ahead..

[TirAlb]

Originally Posted by Makedonia25

Yep, and to be fair.. It should.. Both Albania and FYROM are at the same stage on their reforms.. Croatia on the other hand, seems a long way ahead..

Yes but the autor is not linking it with the reforms,but with Fyroms name.However probaly that part of the article was based only on rumours and on nothing tangible.

[Draco]

I think it's a fact that (potential) rivals ought to join NATO together (like Greece and Turkey did). Perhaps its time for Tirana to start badgering Skopje to give in.

[Makedonia25]

Originally Posted by TirAlb

Yes but the autor is not linking it with the reforms,but with Fyroms name.However probaly that part of the article was based only on rumours and on nothing tangible.

No, dont be so sure.. I was just watching the Greek news and they said that the Albanian government is getting VERY nervous about the Greek veto on FYROM..