NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer distanced himself from the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece yesterday. Asked by Utrinski Vesnik how NATO intends to resolve the problem concerning Greece's threats of vetoing Macedonia's accession, Scheffer responded that he, as secretary general, plays no role in this dispute.

"There is no role for the NATO secretary general in this issue. Of course, this issue is important and I believe that a resolution for the name dispute should be found – the sooner the better. But you know that Mr. Matthew Nimetz is authorized for this, not I," Scheffer said. He did not want to say what NATO would do if a resolution is not found before the invitations for membership are sent, Utrinski Vesnik reports.