MACEDONIA

A Greek veto at the upcoming EU council meeting threatens to further fuel growing animosity in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
By Luca Roberto Foti

The Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, whose country currently presides over the EU Presidency, is optimistic that a possible compromise over the name dispute between the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and Greece can be reached before EU foreign Ministers meet on December 7th. Indeed, that is when a decision is supposed to be taken regarding whether or not Macedonia will receive a date to start talks over membership of the EU.

The Swedish foreign minister';s statement came after Zoran Jolevski, Macedonia';s representative in the talks on the name dispute, told the UN's mediator, Matthew Nimetz, that Macedonia was ready for a solution to the name issue that will not affect the country';s dignity. Though Jolevski is expecting Greece to abide by the 1995 agreement and thus not prevent Macedonia from joining the EU, he would like to reach an agreement on the name dispute before the EU Council';s meeting on December 7th, maybe fearing a repetition of the NATO summit in Bucharest on April 2008.

Then, Greece vetoed Macedonia's accession to the Alliance, despite the 1995 interim agreement, and everything suggests the Greek government will do the same in the next EU Council meeting. Indeed, Adamantios Vassilakis, the Greek representative in the UN-sponsored name talks, said that the most appropriate solution remains a name with a geographic determination, such as the 'Republic of Upper Macedonia'. If this request is not met, Athens could then block the start of EU accession talks for Macedonia.

you can read more here:

http://www.transconflict.com/News/2009/December/Macedonia_is_the_name_issue_close_to_an_end.php