Macedonia's name cannot be a reason for denying the country a NATO membership invitation, said U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns.

"We cannot refuse Macedonia an invitation for joining NATO for any reason if the country meets all the criteria for membership," Mr. Burns said before the Subcommittee on Europe of the House of Representatives of the United States.

"Greece does not rule out the possibility for vetoing Macedonia's membership unless the name issue is resolved meanwhile. Although the U.S. shares the view of the significance of resolving this name problem, we don't believe that the dispute itself represents a reason why Macedonia should not be allowed to join the international organization," Mr. Burns added.