Solution to name row between Greece, Macedonia nowhere in sight

Solution to name row between Greece, Macedonia nowhere in sight – envoy

19:54 Fri 27 Jun 2008 - Spasena Baramova

Bakoyannis and Nimetz. Photo: Reuters

United Nations' special envoy on the name issue between Greece and Macedonia Matthew Nimetz said that he currently did not see any deadlines for reaching a solution to the dispute, website Balkan Insight reported.

Nimetz' words came as new proof that working a way out of the row, which has been poisoning the relations between the two Balkan neighbours for 17 years, was highly unlikely before July 9, when Croatia and Albania will sign their accession protocols with Nato. The date was widely seen as Macedonia's last chance to join the other two Western Balkan states on their way towards acceding to the military bloc.

In April, as a result of the failure of the two states to come to an agreement on the dispute, Greece vetoed Macedonia getting invited to join the alliance at a summit in Bucharest, while Albania and Croatia got their invitations.

Nimetz visited Athens for a new round of talks with Greek foreign minister Dora Bakoyannis on June 26 and was scheduled to travel to Skopje on June 27 to meet Macedonian president Branko Crvenkovski and prime minister Nikola Gruevski.

The Associated Press reported the UN envoy as saying he did not think direct talks between the Greeks and Macedonians was a good option at the present moment in time.

Since Macedonia broke away from former Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece has argued its right to call itself like that, as this name coincides with the one of Greece's northern province, which, the Greeks say, is indicative of their neighbours' implicit territorial claims.

According to a report in Greek newspaper Eleftheros Typos earlier this week, Nimetz' most recent proposals include Macedonia changing its name to Northern Macedonia, Upper Macedonia or Vardar Macedonia.

Negotiations were intensified over the past month, with a round of talks held in New York. However, they saw no prospects of coming to a positive end as Greek and Macedonian officials became seemingly more unwilling to compromise.

Comments

Comments by Jena - 04:57 28 Jun 2008
	This will never be resolved . I truly back Greece on the name issue ....No more talks please!
Comments by Macedonian - 10:29 28 Jun 2008
	Dear Sirs, you write "as Greek and Macedonian officials became seemingly more unwilling to compromise". This is not correct since the Greek sidee has already compromised in accepting a composite name that includes the name "Macedonia". The old Greek position was strictly agains the use of the name "Macedonia" by FYROM at all. It's time for the government in Skopje now to make a step towards Athens and to accept a name that distinguishes our Macedonia from theirs.
Comments by Rosie Olson - 06:06 02 Jul 2008
	What is this idiocy during the last 17 years? First, does USA go crazy about Georgia to not use the name, because there is a state called the same way in America? Second, why the Macedonians have any territorial claims to something that was theirs 2500 years ago? And third, why the Greeks don't call their province Southern Macedonia and everything to be done with. This is ridiculous!
Comments by Kallimachos - 05:24 31 Jul 2008
	Message to FYROM: Greece was willing to comprimise by accepting the term "Macedonia" with a geographical or ethnic qualifier (Northern, Upper, New, Slav, Vardar), but you have rejected everything and are printing maps of 40% of Greece annexed by FYROM. In Greece we have a saying: "Whoever seeks a lot, in the end loses both the eggs and the basket". If you want Greece to be your enemy with your absurd claims we are more than willing to accomodate your desire, but don't go running and crying to the UN, NATO, EU, when we smash you again as we did during the Greek civil war. Macedonia belongs to Greece and make no mistake that we have the will, means, and power to make sure it remains this way. We will not accept the theft of our history, culture, symbols, and national heroes by Slavs.