No Breakthrough After Greece, Macedonia Name Talks

Nimetz said that while there is no proposal, there are a lot of elements on the table that the two sides have discussed in recent years. He met with Macedonian and Greek negotiators, Zora Jolevski and Adamantios Vasilakis respectively, in New York on Wednesay

He noted that both sides know the problem and the possible solutions well, and have expressed their readiness to resume talks.

"The atmosphere was very good. Both sides presented their positions. There is a positive attitude for solving the problem," said Nimetz, assessing last year's meetings of Greek and Macedonian Prime Ministers Gruevski and Papandreou as progress in the effort to reach a solution.

He asked both parties to think of a solution, review their positions again, undertake steps towards building mutual trust, and refrain from steps that could cause confusion and misunderstanding.

Athens and Skopje have been locked in a dispute over the use of the name Macedonia for almost two decades. Greece insists that the official name of its neighbor- Republic of Macedonia- implies territorial claims against its own northern province, which is also called Macedonia.

Skopje, meanwhile, maintains that a name change might jeopardise its identity and dignity. UN talks aimed at solving the spat intensified in 2008 after Greece blocked NATO from extending an invitation to Macedonia pending a solution to the disagreement.

At the end of 2009, with no compromise in sight, Greece again used its position to block Macedonia from getting a date for the start of its EU accession talks, despite a recommendation from the European Commission.

Macedonia's Jolevski confirmed that Nimetz failed to table a concrete name proposal, but several options for the settlement of the row were reviewed.

"I presented Macedonia's positions at the meeting. I briefed Nimetz and Vasilakis that Macedonia is sincerely committed to a mutually acceptable solution that would protect the identity and dignity of the country's citizens," Jolevski told Voice of America's Macedonian language service.

Greek media report that Vasilakis assessed the meeting as formal, aimed at updating the process after a one-year break since the last round of talks.

"At this time, we can notify our respective governments on the meeting conclusions and see what will happen next. You know the Greek position that has been reiterated by the prime minister and the foreign minister on a number of occasions, so there is no need to say it again," said Vasilakis.

Prior to the joint meeting at Nimetz's office, the UN envoy held separate meetings with the negotiators. Moreover, Nimetz, Jolevski and Vasilakis had a working dinner later in the day.

The date for the next meeting has not been specified, with Nimetz saying it would be scheduled following mutual coordination.