GREECE: U.N. mediator Matthew Nimitz arrives to mediate on 15-year feud between Greece and Macedonia over the name "Macedonia" for its Balkan neighbour

Greece invited U.N. mediator Matthew Nimitz on Friday (January 12) to mediate on its 15-year feud with its northern neighbour Macedonia. Greece opposes the name "Macedonia" for its Balkan neighbour, as Greece has a northern province with the same name which is the ancient birthplace of the Macedonian Kingdom of Philip and his famous son Alexander, who conquered much of the eastern world in the 4th century BC. The recent announcement by the government in Skopje that it would rename its airport Alexander the Great angered the Greek government, with officials calling it a step backward. Asked by reporters off-camera if the move by Skopje regarding the airport had any effect on negotiation efforts, Nimetz said it had a negative effect. "We talked about the general issue of the name, the interm agreement, the relationship between the two countries, and in particular the new issue of the renaming of the airport. I received the views of the Greek government very clearly from the minister and I will go to Skopje tomorrow and talk to them and have a discussion on that side," said Nimetz after meeting with Greek Prime Minister Dora Bakoyannis. Greek officials have warned Athens may block Macedonia's integration into the European Union and NATO if it does not drop its claim to the name Macedonia. "The people of the Balkans are building a common European future looking forward, and not looking back to the distortion of the past. We have made constructive moves towards the resolution of the name dispute and we beleive the recent decision by the government of Skopje goes against the interm agreement," said Greek foreign ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos over the recent airport naming decision. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia gained peaceful independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Since then Greece has been in a dispute over the name and symbols of the country, with Greece demanding Macedonia change wording in its constitution that implied territorial ambitions, and its flag, after the symbol used on the first flag was the emblem of the ancient Macedonian King Philip. An interm agreement was reached in 1995 between the two countries to normalise relations after the Balkan country made the changes, and Greece dropped a trade embargo on the country. But a solution to the name dispute has been at an impasse with Skopje refusing proposals by Nimetz of the name, "Republic of Macedonia-Skopje". In international bodies such as NATO, the United Nations and the European Union, the republic is called the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) due to the dispute, while many countries, such as the United States, call it Macedonia.

ITN Source | January 13, 2007

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