Name dispute mediator to visit Athens and Skopje – reports - South Eastern Europe

Fri, Feb 10 2012

Name dispute mediator to visit Athens and Skopje – reports

Thu, May 21 2009 11:37 CET

byClive Leviev-Sawyer

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Name dispute mediator to visit Athens and Skopje – reports

SEEKING SUPPORT: French president Nicolas Sarkozy, left, received Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski at the Elysee Palace on May 15. Gruevski travelled to Brussels and Paris to lobby for support on Schengen visa exemption and in its name dispute with Greece.

Matthew Nimetz, the mediator appointed by the United Nations to resolve the long-standing dispute between Athens and Skopje over the use of the name Macedonia, is to visit the two capitals in June 2009 to assess the countries’ readiness to seek a solution, according to Greek media reports.

However, a Greek foreign ministry spokesperson said that Athens had no information about when Nimetz would resume his initiatives to end the deadlock over the use of the name. Nimetz has not confirmed plans for a trip, which reportedly would take place after Greece votes in European Parliament elections.

Greek daily To Vima said on May 20 2009 that Nimetz would visit the two capital cities next month. The report came as Macedonian foreign minister Antonio Milososki concluded meetings in New York with legal advisers about the forthcoming action in the International Court of Justice against Athens, which Skopje alleges has violated a bilateral accord on relations.

In 2008, because of the name dispute, Greece blocked the issuing of an invitation to Macedonia to join Nato. Similarly, Athens has said it will stand in the way of Macedonia getting any closer to EU membership pending resolution of the dispute.

Macedonia’s court action alleges that Athens violated the accord by blocking Skopje’s Nato aspirations. After Macedonia has filed written statements in support of its court action, Greece will have six months to respond.

Newly-elected Macedonian president Gjorge Ivanov, who has the backing of the ruling party led by prime minister Nikola Gruevski, has said that a key priority of his presidential term will be rebuilding relations with Greece and resolving the name dispute.

However, Greece and other observers have laid the blame for the lack of progress at the door of Gruevski for being uncompromising in the dispute. Skopje levels similar accusations at Athens.

Gruevski said on May 20 that Macedonia and Greece were under growing pressures "from all external factors" to resolve the name issue as quickly as possible and enable Macedonia to join Nato.

He said that a further proposal from Nimetz was awaited. However, reports from Macedonia in recent days said that Macedonian leaders would not accept a compromise that included a "geographical element" in the name, confirming that there seems little hope of a solution along the lines of one proposed last year, to call the country "Northern Macedonia" at international level.

In Brussels and Paris on May 15, including at a meeting with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Gruevski sought support for pressure from other European Union states on Greece to resolve the name dispute.

Greek foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos, asked by journalists on May 20 whether a forthcoming visit by US deputy secretary of state Jim Steinberg to Athens and Skopje meant that there would be a US initiative to end the deadlock, said that he had "no indications" of a specific American initiative.

Koumoutsakos said that Athens hoped that when talks on the name dispute resumed, there would be a different atmosphere and more constructive stance, focusing on the essence of the dispute.

In 2008, the Greek side was irked by Gruevski attempting to introduce other issues into the name dispute resolution process, including claims about a Macedonian minority in Greece, an assertion that Athens rejects.