By David Edenden
Am I the only one that has noticed the dangers in accepting the final proposal of “Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)" by UN mediator Matthew Nimetz.
This is not a workable compromise because it invites the Greek government and its US lobby to push for re-naming ethnic Macedonians as "Skopians", notwithstanding what is said in the agreement.
We are going to see a never ending campaign to denigrate the culture and history of ethnic Macedonians. The Macedonian government and parliament should reject this agreement now!
The failure of Matthew Nimetz to include the plight of ethnic Macedonians of Greece as part of his thinking in resolving this dispute, has put him in a box with no viable recommendation to make. He should apologize to the Macedonian people for wasting all these years in fruitless negotiations.
Here's my recommendation:
1. Mathew Nimetz should resign and replaced with Michael Dukakis!
2. Macedonia should be admitted to Nato with the FYROM name.
3. Negotiations on the name to continue for one year.
4. Status of ethnic Macedonians in Greece to be including in the "Terms of Reference".
Thank you ... I think I solved the problem.
Note: "Balkan Insight" is an offshoot of "The International Crisis Group". They are both a bunch of vampires!Macedonia Says UN 'Name' Proposal Final:
BalkanInsight.com
28 March 2008 Skopje
Macedonia sees the latest UN proposal for a solution to the 'name' dispute with Greece as final, the country's Foreign Minister says.
'After 15 years of talks we think that this proposal is the final one,” Macedonian Foreign Minister Antonio Milososki told reporters after holding talks with political leaders on Friday.
However he refused to say whether the government had accepted the proposal.
It was offered to both Greece and Macedonia earlier this week by the United Nations mediator in the dispute, Matthew Nimetz but neither side has commented on what was in the proposal. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/8906/
The plan is widely seen as a last ditch attempt before next week's NATO Summit in Bucharest where Greece is threatening to block Skopje's bid to join the alliance because of the unresolved 'name' row.
The upcoming summit has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity to end the dispute once and for all.
“The process for building our position regarding this final proposal will continue in the coming days,” Milososki said, adding the country's Parliament will discuss the proposal on Monday. It will be the first time the Parliament has discussed a proposed solution to the 17-year long row.
Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said that unless a national referendum is called on the matter, the issue will be voted on in Parliament.
Media speculate that Nimetz has offered the proposed name of “Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)” which will be used exclusively among international institutions, while the more than 120 countries that have already recognised Macedonia under its constitutional name would be advised to use the new name but will have no obligation to do so.
The proposal also foresees that neither side will have exclusive use of the adjective “Macedonian.”
Greek media report that Athens has already rejected the plan and Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis has cancelled a meeting between the two countries' Premiers during Saturday's European Union ministerial summit in Slovenia.
Reports in Athens suggested there will be a meeting under UN auspices on Monday in New York where Nimetz will table a new solution.
Athens objects to Skopje’s use of its constitutional name “Republic of Macedonia” arguing it might lead Skopje to make territorial claims over Greece's own northern province of Macedonia.
It is simply ill-advised to have skopje in the name at all. It plays into their (Greece's) hands...
ReplyDeleteOf course I advocate no compromise at all as the Republic of Macedonia is enough to differntiate between a sovereign nation-state and the three 'Macedonian'peripheries in northern Greece.
However if a geographic indicator is a necessary evil then North or Northern Macedonia is the only viable solution and is much more acceptable than having 'Skopje' in the name because they (fascist Greec) can't label Macedonians as Skopjans any longer, if anything they will say northern Macedonians, either way the Macedonian identity is not denigrated as much that way.
Oh you are not the only one David but unfortunately neither of us are in the government to say no to such blackmail from Greece.
ReplyDeleteHopefully Gruevski does not sell out, Crvenkovski on the other hand already has it seems.