Macedonians Pessimistic on Name Deal

The opinion poll, conducted by the Transparency- Zero Corruption NGO, shows that some 56 per cent of  respondents do not believe that the row could be resolved within the next six months, as the EU hopes, while 31 per cent remain optimistic that it is possible.

12 per cent of those questioned had no answer to this question.

Around 50 per cent of respondents said that a change to the official name of the country, Republic of Macedonia, would jeopardize the national identity. 44 per cent held the opposite opinion.

According to the head of the NGO, Slagjana Taseva, many people lack information about the negotiations being held between their country and Greece and have no idea how far their leadership would go in making compromises.

This, she said, creates confusion, fear and mistrust among the population.

Athens and Skopje are locked in an 18 year-long spat about the use of the name Macedonia. In December Athens effectively blocked Skopje from acquiring a start date for its EU accession talks, citing the unresolved row as the reason. In 2008 Athens also blocked Skopje from entering NATO.

Greece insists that the name of its smaller neighbor must be changed as it implicates territorial claims against its own northern province, also called Macedonia.

The latest opinion poll again confirmed the disparity of views on the name issue between the two largest ethnic communities in the country.

While most of the Macedonian majority fear the country would lose its identity if it were required to give up its official name, ethnic Albanians, who make one quarter of the population, tend to be less worried about this possibility and would more easily agree to a name change if that meant quick NATO and EU entry.