Rapporteur Hopeful on Macedonia Name Compromise

Speaking in an optimistic tone, Howitt, who is paying a two-day visit to Macedonia, on Tuesday, told Balkan Insight that he “would like to see resolution as quickly as possible, before the EC meeting in December”.

“There are good opportunities for a compromise to be made until then” Hewit said noting that the diplomacies from both countries should be “allowed space” to work out a “genuine” solution to the long standing dispute.

Howitt’s visit to Skopje comes ahead of the publishing of the European Commission’s annual progress report on Macedonia set for October.

In it Macedonia hopes it will get a recommendation for accession talks for a third year in a row, based on its reforms made to prepare the country for future membership.

Macedonia first got a recommendation for accession talks from the EC in the autumn of 2009 but at the following council, Greece prevented setting a date for the start of negotiations citing the unresolved bilateral row.

Greece is also blocking Macedonia’s NATO accession from the same reason.

During his stay in the country Howitt met with Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov, Parliament Speaker Trajko Veljanovski, Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski as well as with the leaders of the opposition parties. He also talked with local business and civil society representatives.

Speaking at a press conference in Skopje previously the same day, Howitt noted that conflicts within EU may also be solved out of the public eye, through debates and by giving enough space for negotiators to be heard.

"An agreement will be reached when people least expect one, because private discussions are being held behind the scenes," Howitt said amongst other things.

Athens and Skopje are locked in a two decades long dispute over the name Macedonia. Greece argues that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims against its own northern province which is also called Macedonia.

Although both sides are obliged at resuming solution seeking talks under the UN auspices, the talks there are practically frozen.

This weekend the UN envoy in the “name” talks, Matthew Nimetz, suggested he has no plans to visit Athens and Skopje any time soon. He said this after meeting the Foreign Minister, Stavros Lambrinidis in New York.

Nimetz is expected to meet Macedonian PM Gruevski during his forthcoming visit to New York.