The U.S. Embassy denies the existence of a secret U.S.-Greek agreement on resolving of the name dispute, which was revealed by analyst Sam Vaknin a few days ago. “The United States of America wants to see a resolution for the name dispute as soon as possible, because this is in the best interest of both countries and the region as a whole,” the U.S. Embassy in Skopje stated.
Western diplomats neither confirm nor deny the report written by well-known analyst Sam Vaknin, which was published in the LA Chronicle and the International Analyst Network, that the United States of America has a ready plan for resolving of the name dispute between Macedonia and Greece, the Macedonian media report. The report states that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will present this plan to Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki and Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis on 23 September, and the plan will also be presented to the UN Security Council on 24 September.
Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis confirmed today that Greece would definitively veto the start of Macedonia's accession talks with the European Union.
Greece made a big mistake as regards the properties of “the Slav Macedonians” and it will find itself in a difficult situation if this case comes before the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This view was conveyed recently by the well-known Greek intellectual Alexis Iraklidis, university professor of international law, in his interview for the Greek daily Eleftherotypia.
The Macedonian authorities do not agree with a resolution for the name dispute that would require amendment of the Macedonian Constitution, Dnevnik reports. Macedonia demands that the language and nation be clearly defined, that is, that they be confirmed as Macedonian. The state refuses to accept a variant that would be based on the name that would be used in the international relations. These are the Macedonian state leadership’s key remarks to the ideas contained in UN mediator Matthew Nimetz’s last package and they were conveyed to the UN mediator in Skopje last week.
UN mediator Matthew Nimetz met with Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski and Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski in Skopje yesterday. Nimetz said after the meetings that the state leadership had a united position and that the talks were constructive. “I do not expect issues other than the name to be opened. This is sufficient. We should not encumber the talks with other issues, which are also important,” he said.
The SDSM parliamentary group will prepare amendments to the laws that President Branko Crvenkovski refused to sign, despite the fact that Assembly Chairman Trajko Veljanoski stated that they do not have the right to submit amendments. The ruling majority yesterday also rejected the opposition’s request for the authorized committees to discuss these laws, explaining that this is contrary to the assembly Rules of Procedure.
European Commission will demand explanation from Macedonian authorities for amendments to Law on Energy. European Commission warned Macedonian Government previously that, with these amendments, it is achieving monopoly for state power plants.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon states in his response to Prime Minister Gruevski's letter that he appreciates efforts for good neighborly relations and that he is aware that there are more open issues between Skopje and Athens.
President Branko Crvenkovski put a veto on the amendments to the Law on Foreign Affairs, which the Assembly ratified on 31 July this year. The president informed Assembly Chairman Trajko Veljanoski about this yesterday with a letter. In accordance with the agreement reached at the meeting with the assembly chairman, President Crvenkovski yesterday signed the edicts for declaring 52 laws, but he did not sign the edict for the Law on Foreign Affairs, the media report.
President Crvenkovski says he will not sign edict for Law on Foreign Affairs because he disagrees with certain elements in this law. Crvenkovski signs edicts for 52 disputable laws, while Parliament will vote again on remaining five laws on 25 August.
The Government will not comment on Mr. Branko Crvenkovski in the future, just like it has not commented on him so far. We have a program and we promised citizens that we would fulfill this program, Deputy Prime Minister for EU Affairs Ivica Bocevski said on Friday, commenting on the Macedonian president’s assertions presented at Thursday’s press conference, Nova Makedonija reports.
Mediator Matthew Nimetz did not produce a new name proposal at the last round of talks in New York. He only proposed new ideas that the Macedonian leadership will consider before assuming a joint position.
- President Branko Crvenkovski told Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski at a press conference Thursday that that the true political battle was yet to come and that they would meet in the next parliamentary elections. On the other hand, VMRO-DPMNE said the conduct of the President Crvenkovski over the past few months was motivated solely by party interests.
The Greek military maneuvers near the border to Macedonia are not a threat, but pressure, said Macedonian Defense Minister Zoran Konjanovski, responding to a reporter's question, after meeting Deputy Dutch Ambassador to Macedonia Govert Visser Wednesday.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sent another letter to name issue mediator Matthew Nimetz, in which he asks that the church dispute, that is the refusal of the Greek Orthodox Church to recognize the Macedonian Orthodox Church, be included in the resolution of the name issue as well.
"We are convinced that Greece will by no means be threatened if it recognizes the right of a small ethnic community of loyal citizens to free expression and protection of their linguistic, national and cultural identity. It is for this reason that Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski wrote a letter first to his Greek counterpart Kostas Karamanlis, raising these issues that we consider bilateral. Regardless of the fact that Mr. Karamanlis's response was rather one-sided, still we are satisfied that he replied and this is the first time that a Greek prime minister accepted a discussion on this subject, " said Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki in his interview with the Greek newspaper Eleftherotypia.
"New Democratic Republic of Macedonia" will most probably be mediator Matthew Nimetz's new proposal for resolution of the name issue, say Greek media, relying on diplomatic sources from Macedonia.
A new name to replace the provisional reference of FYROM will be proposed by mediator Matthew Nimetz at the next round of talks set for 14 and 15 August in New York, Spic has learned from an unofficial source.
The alliance between Greece and France at the expense of Macedonia's interests is working again, but this time round in a totally different direction. Nova Makedonija says that in addition to the veto on Macedonia's NATO membership and the threats of blocking its EU membership, Macedonia's admission to the recently established Mediterranean Union, which is expected to grow into the biggest and most influential international organization after the United Nations, is at stake as well.
With the pardoning of Zoran Zaev President Branko Crvenkovski dealt a heavy blow to fighting crime and corruption, said Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski on Monday, rejecting, however, the idea of impeachment.
The Government will work hard so that Macedonia can become a full-fledged member of NATO and the EU. However, it will continue to raise the Macedonian issue worldwide in order to make sure the Macedonian minority in Greece is granted rights. This is the message that Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski sent from the celebration of Macedonia's National Day, 2 August, at Pelince.
Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki stated in the interview for today’s issue of Dnevnik, “Macedonia is ready for a reasonable compromise with Greece that will not jeopardize our language identity, our dignity, and the right to national self-determination. But we are not prepared to accept an imposed diktat by Athens.”
The National Security Council concluded at its session yesterday that Macedonia would continue to participate in the international peace missions led by NATO, UN, EU, and the United States of America. In the statement released to the media, the Security Council stressed that all reforms in the defense sphere are being implemented in accordance with the plan and that the financing of the Army would continue with the same intensity. This would satisfy NATO’s requirements as regards the number of peacekeepers deployed to peace missions, in accordance with the obligations assumed with the National Program for Accession to NATO.
VMRO-DPMNE set an ultimatum to the opposition yesterday that, if it does not return to the Assembly today, the ruling majority would form the assembly committees by itself. VMRO-DPMNE’s Ilija Dimovski, chairman of the assembly Committee on Election and Appointment Issues, sent a letter to the coalition “Sun” yesterday, asking it to nominate candidates for members of the assembly working bodies, the delegations for international and bilateral cooperation, and the assembly Committee on Relations among Communities.
Strumica Mayor Zoran Zaev and his five associates are in the prison in Suto Orizari in Skopje as of Sunday evening, after the Criminal Council of Skopje Basic Court 1 ruled a 30-day detention against them.
