Macedonia To Reply To "Name" Proposal Soon

Skopje | 14 July 2009 |

Georgi Ivanov

Macedonia will reply to the latest proposals made by Matthew Nimetz, the UN mediator in the Athens-Skopje “name” row, sometimes in August, Macedonian President Georgi Ivanov said.

During his Monday visit to the Croatian capital Zagreb, Ivanov said that a recent statement by Greek officials suggesting preparedness to resolve the issue in line with international laws indicated a possible positive development in the process.

Nimetz visited both Skopje and Athens last week and handed both sides an altered version of his latest October set of ideas for solving the long-running dispute. He sounded optimistic, arguing that the issue could be resolved “within months”.

After receiving Nimetz, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said Athens was prepared for a deal as long as a composite name for Macedonia was found that would contain a geographical prefix and would be for international use.

The relations between the two neighbors soured last year when Athens blocked Skopje’s NATO accession over the row. Greece claims that Macedonia’s formal name implies Skopje’s territorial claims over its own northern province of Macedonia.

In October, media speculated that Nimetz proposed several variations of the name “Northern Macedonia” to both sides. But the details on the span of its use, as well as guarantees for Macedonia’s identity and language, were yet to be determined precisely.

Observers say that if both sides reach an agreement soon, Skopje could hope on a swift NATO entry as of the beginning of next year. This would also mean that Athens would not pose an obstacle to Skopje’s EU accession.

Ivanov’s host, Croatian President Stipe Mesic, in the same context urged Slovenia to restrain from using the bilateral dispute over its border with Croatia to block Zagreb’s EU accession negotiations.

(Reporting by Sinisa-Jakov Marusic)

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Comments:

SOLUTION
2009-07-14 14:48:07

LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA!

International Law?
2009-07-14 16:51:23

Sinisa/AKP, According to international law, all people have the right to self determination. There will always be self-serving "politicians" in the Balkans ready to find "solutions" to the problems of the day. But you ca be sure that whatever happens, the sun will go on shining. As long as that is the case, there will be a Macedonia. There will be Macedonians. And they will call themselves Macedonians. Make no mistake. This "dispute" has nothing to do with history. If one accepts the current scientific view of natural history, how can one deny that all people of this planet share a common history? A common heritage. A common bond. Those who want to live in the 21st century (and not the 2nd or 3rd BC) will seek the light of reason, and of truth. Humanity is bigger than NATO. Macedonia transcends these petty-minded political disputes. The sun still shines over Lerin. Hope pours forth from its rays. Long may the spirit of Macedonia spread out over the world.

RE: to "the sun shines from Florina"
2009-07-14 20:20:16

kiro the great
2009-07-14 21:46:27

According to Kiro Gligorov, the majority ethnicity in Fyrom are slavs, not descendants of Alexander etc. Hate to burst your bubble, but jugo-logic is really getting irritating on this site

Bubbles and Giggles
2009-07-15 01:51:05

uncle dedo said "Hate to burst your bubble, but jugo-logic is really getting irritating on this site" Yes. The rabid, neo-fascist Greek propaganda is really refreshing.

FRYOMIANS
2009-07-15 08:25:10

Please spare us your reply, and do us all a favour stay in your country and enjoy your beaches...

RE: to "the sun shines from Florina"
2009-07-21 05:29:58

"According to international law, all people have the right to self determination." ------------------------------------ I believe that law applies for real Macedonians from real Macedonia in Greece too, right? For example, real Macedonians with Hellenic heritage who dont want to be connected somehow with the Slavic heritage of the people of FYROM, have the right to differentiate from them. Right? And since these real Macedonians happen to live in real Macedonia and the real place where ancient Macedonian were, i hope you understand who has to change his name. Right? By the way, tell me how "Macedonian you feel"; "Thessaloniki" a real Macedonian name used from all Macedonians from aniquity until today, or "Solun" a Slavic name used from Tito and Stalin the last century Show my your "Macedonian heritage".. BasilMacedon I AM A GREEK WHO LIVES IN AUSTRALIA. I VISIT GREECE (INCLUDING MACEDONIA) EVERY YEAR AND HAVE NOTICED SOMETHING QUITE EVIDENT......... THE PEOPLE FROM SCOPJE WHO LIVE IN MACEDONIA.......DON'T LOOK LIKE GREEKS. THEY IN FACT LOOK VERY SIMILAR TO THE BULGARIAN AND SERBIAN PEOPLE WHO ALSO RESIDE IN MACEDONIA. JUST LIKE THE GEORGIANS LOOK LIKE THE RUSSIANS. SORRY, BUT BE FAIR, BE LOGICAL AND USE SOME ONE ELSE'S HISTORY IF YOU CAN'T FIND YOURS. REGARDS LOGICAL GREEK

Name proposal
2009-07-24 15:52:51

What is it wrong for Greece to change to its original name of Graico. instead to ask an independent State to change its name that has existed for centuries before present Greece became a State?.Realisticly, to me it seams Greece does not believe the historians of the day that the Macedonians fought the Hellens at Chaeronea in 338-337 BC. Why is Greece basing its history on Macedonia? The answer is simple, they are not connected to the Hellens. Isocrates and Demosthenes are not recognized as being Greeks.If Greece realy recognizes that they are connected to these historians,history of Greece will have to change dramaticly.A suggestion for the Greeks,please go to "Google...Macedonian inscription in Balkh Afganistan.This is the latest discovery with Alexander on a horse and the Macedonian fallangs on the backround. Please Greeks,I know you are good people, but your consecutive governments have politisized the whole history to a point of FABRICATED Greek history.It is time for Greece to come clean and teach the Greek history to its children, and the Macedonian history for the indigenouse Macedonians as agreed in 1925 at the League of Nations. It is absurd to say the Christian Turks that were resetled in Macedonia are the ancient Macedonians.Does this nation has no shame claiming everthing that you can transalate into Greek is Greek? Greece, stop the falsification of history,it is caching-up to you in the international scen.

Macedonia reply
2009-07-25 23:50:29

Why are you Greeks so intensly involved with the Macedonian question. The simple answer is,Greece thinks you are 99% pure,realy?Get over it,Macedonians exist centuries before you became Greek.Just lessen to the Greek inteligentia what they say like;Anastasia Karakasidou,Dora Grossomanidou-former Ambassador to Macedonia,PM. Rallis in 1903,Mitsotakis in 1995,1925 Vasilis Dendramanis,British MP. Gladston,UNs Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,Professor of sociology at the University of Crete Athena Skoulariki.According to professor Skoulariki the Greek arguments are not convincing because it is a fundamental right of all people to freely choose their name. We insist that our neighbour has no right to use the name Macedonia,ignoring the fact that durring the 19th and 20th century there was a wider region called Macedonia.Let me mention Isocrates and Demosthenes in 338-337 BC what they said about the differance between the Hellens and Macedonians.This is nothing but Greek fabrication of history.Greece is shamless.

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Macedonia To Reply To "Name" Proposal Soon