It's a shame that the internet is a virtual medium, because there are a lot of people out there that I'd like to express my deep feelings of friendship to, and having spent the last two years here in Serbia, I'd like to do it in a truly Serbian way.
Ivanov Supports Name Referendum
Skopje | 08 June 2009 |
Georgi Ivanov
"The people should not feel deprived of their rights and personality, something which every person living on this planet has, a right to self-determination and self-identification," Ivanov told local media in Skopje.
Last Sunday, Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski also stressed that any compromise between Skopje and Athens would have to be approved via a referendum. His party, the centre-right VMRO DPMNE, has previously embedded this in its 2008 election program.
Last year, Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession over the row. Greece argues that Macedonia’s formal name, the same name of Greece's northern province, implies Skopje’s territorial claims over it.
Some analysts say that a referendum on any possible compromise name that would be reached through UN-brokered talks could mean a blockade of the whole process since the majority of Macedonian’s are very likely to refuse it.
Ivanov vowed to find a “reasonable compromise” between the two states that would not interfere with Macedonian identity or offend Macedonian sensibilities.
US diplomat Matthew Nimetz, the UN mediator in the talks, will soon visit the region, Ivanov said.
The talks should intensify in the aftermath of European Parliament elections, which closed on Sunday.
Media speculate that the United States, which is perceived as a major player in the talks, would like to see the issue closed by the end of the year. This would ensure Macedonia's membership in NATO next year and clear the path for EU accession.
(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)
2009-06-08 18:05:52