Greek Opposition Vows to Resolve Name Spat

PASOK is the worst political party this side of tammany hall... "Loverdos says that Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis is making a mistake by not engaging in direct talks with Skopje and instead leaving the matter of finding a mutually acceptable compromise to UN mediator Matthew Nimetz." Oh really?! PASOK was in government between 1993 and 2004 and happily allowed Nimetz to mediate, hell, they encouraged the UN mediation. PASOK and its dead founder, Andreas Papandreou, George's dad, slapped the trade embargo/border closing on FYROM, and then turned around and negotiated the Sept. 1995 "interim agreement". PASOK was also in power between 1981 and 1989 when developments in then Yugoslavia pointed to the eventual resurgence of the irredentist "Macedonia question". If PASOK says one thing, you can damn well bet they'll do the exact opposite.

Doesn't matter which govt is in power Greece has one voice over the name issue and is not for negotiation in party politics - so Gruev should not use it as another stalling tactic.

Slav Macedonian is not the term the Greeks use to refer to Macedonians. It is the term used to call them what they are "Slav Macedonian" which is proper and respectable eitherwise they simply just are slavs who steal a name, attach exclusivity and ownership and then argue only they are Macedonians and should be identified as such, which is false. Realize realities and come to an agreement that you are not exclusively Macedonians nevertheless you will be in some way identified with the term and this issue is solved and everyone can live on.

It is a lie. Maybe it is a hint for SlavoSkopians of Greece to vote PASOK.

Macedonian refugee's allowed to return to the other side of Macedonia. WOW..there it is ladies and gentlemen, the Macedonians were there all the time before the war(not imports)like the others. It's mind boggling all the energy it requires to perpetuate a LIE on the greek side..Guys..you're made up stories are begining to develope cracks.

So here you're crying again??????????? Now all of a sudden there are some refuges from Greece that are not Greeks........Well, whether you like it or not changes are coming into Greece's political scene, and with that changes to Greece's foreign policy. New people with new ideas......dinosaurs like Bakoyani (and yourself)are due for extinction.... You and your ideas are the past. Sorry........

Greek politicians with thih coment just wont to take as more as posible of macedonians vot's on the elections but after that everything will be the same, just like in the civil wor in greece when macedonians get promis that they will have more rights but they get only EXODUS and KILL of 70% of macedonian population in todeys greece...in the time when this party wos having the goverment in greece start the so coll Macedonian - greek problem with economic border embargo, and not recognaysing macedonians in greece , not givig them the normal human rights on aducation , religion ...

I dispute the accuracy of the quotes in this article. It's not possible that someone from one of the two major parties would 1) Blame Greece for the recent deterioration in relations and not solely Gruevski 2) Advocate the return of the communist guerillas/ 'refugees' The author of the article is from Skopje. I would like to see her verify her sources!

Chada, get your head out of the Jurassic period and read my comment more carefully! The dates and actions I cite are known and documented, the opinions are mine! The biggest political dinosaur in the Balkans today is one Nikola Gruev, the architect of the hilarious and shameful policy of 'antiquization'

John - Greece may not be to blame for the deterioration (Bakoyannis is an awful woman but I would not throw the blame solely at her ethnic cleansing feet) but the pathological jingoism endemic in Greek society and its extreme politics surely is the root cause of this conflict. There is ample global and European (and, for that matter, Balkan) precendent that is on the side of the RoM argument here. The problem is with the collective Greek chip on the shoulder. A society hobbled by a bizarre mix of superiority and vulnerability. Greece has been neither superior nor vulnerable for some time. There is a good argument that there should be some LIMITED right of return, however that has nothing to do with the name. I am sorry that universities in the RoM and Greece do not develop a level of intellect that allows people there to hold two different thoughts in their heads at the same time. The thoroughly paraniod feeling or 'irridentism' get thrown about as some catch all substitute for logic or application. I am only surprised that uncle dedo managed to hold off using that word for five paragraphs. Irridentism exists nowhere but in the jingoistic mindest of the unthinking Hellene. A description, sadly that covers most Greek politicians and especially brainlessyannis. PASOK may be vile, but they are correct that a fresh approach is needed. And the first port of call should be to remove the hopeless Nimetz and for all parties in both countries to grow up and find a Balkan solution to a very modern Balkan problem.