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EC to give Gruevski short shrift on ‘Macedonian minority’ – Greek media
20:06 Thu 24 Jul 2008 - Clive Leviev-Sawyer
 

Greek media reports on July 24 2008 suggested that the letter to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso from Macedonian prime minister Nikola Gruevski attempting to raise the issue of a “Macedonian minority” in Greece was set to backfire.

Amid the dispute between Skopje and Athens on the use of the name Macedonia, Gruevski in recent days first sent a letter to his Greek counterpart Costas Karamanlis and then to Barroso raising the question of the Macedonian minority and other issues not immediately related to the dispute.

The move by Gruevski, however, has been condemned by Greece as an attempt to muddy the waters of the name dispute.

On July 23, Matthew Nimetz, the United Nations mediator charged with the mediating the dispute between Athens and Skopje – the use of the name by the former Yugoslav republic is rejected by Athens which says that this reinforces Macedonia’s territorial claims in northern Greece – was reported to have said that the negotiations would remain confined to the name issue.

Greek media reported that Nimetz, in an interview with NET, Nimetz made the statement in reply to a question about the “Macedonian minority” in Greece. Greek news reports interpreted Nimetz’s reaction as a move to pressure Skopje indirectly to ease tensions.

Macedonians were irked last week when a statement on the name issue by Nato secretary-general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was interpreted as implying that the onus was greater on Skopje to compromise.

German chancellor Angela Merkel, speaking on July 23, said that the UN-mediated negotiations should be confined to the name issue.

Greek daily Apogevmatini said that Gruevski had been “slapped” by Merkel and Barroso. The online version of Athens-based daily Kathimerini quoted diplomatic sources as predicting that Barroso would reiterate EU summit decisions that endorsed Greece’s position on the name.

Kathimerini said that the Gruevski letter to Barroso had “irritated” EC officials.

“According to diplomatic sources, a letter from Brussels will explain that the EC does not have the competency to respond to Gruevski’s appeal. High-ranking EC officials, such as Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn and Jacques Barrot, who is responsible for internal affairs, are said to have refused to oversee a response to the letter.”

The letter, expected to bear Barroso’s signature, would probably include a reference to a paragraph from an EC report that refers to the importance of Athens and Skopje “maintaining good-neighbourly relations, which includes agreeing on a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue,” the report said.
 
"Greece's position is known and firm. We seek a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue within the framework of the negotiating process held under the UN auspices," stated alternate government spokesman Evangelos Antonaros when asked to comment on the statements made by UN special envoy Matthew Nimetz to NET public television on the FYROM issue.

 
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Comments
 
Comments by GruevskitheTrixter - 19:45 24 Jul 2008
Will FYROM ever grow up?
Comments by JAMES GABRIEL - 20:13 24 Jul 2008
NAME SOLUTION ! I HAVE IT WE THE TRUE MACEDONIAN GREEKS OF TWO MILLION,S SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND , PLAIN TO MOVE OVER TO MONASTIRE AND SCOPJIE OUR REAL LAND AND MAKE ROOM FOR YOU ! SO ALL OF YOU DARDASKAN BONOVINAN CAN COME OVER! SEE HOW NICE WE ARE! JUST WE WAIT TO HEAR FROM YOU ! WE NEED YOUR HELP TO MOVE OUT OF GREKGEYS LIKE YOU SAY ! TO STATE TO MOSAIC LAND AFTER ALL IS OURS! WAS AND IS ! I HOPE YOU HELP US THE REFUGEES ??? OH LA, LA!TO TRY BARDASKN FREEDOM TITOS STYLE! ISSUE NAME OVER ! MY FARE SOLUTION WILL PREVILE!WELL COME WE WE STAR TO PUCK UP ! OKEY! SEE YOU JIMMY,
Comments by zk - 20:19 24 Jul 2008
Something tells me that this "minority" that Gruevski refers to pales in comparison with the 800,000 Albanians that live in the West, and during the "democratic elections" of June 2008 were bullied, shot and a few even killed. Those 800,000 Albanians make up 40% of the population for that "nation" incidently.... But hey...I am sure the person that benefited from these "democratic elections" (aka Mr Gruevski) would turn a blind eye to this little "factoid" huh? Desperate acts in desperate times for the Skopjians it seems.
Comments by GRUBBY GRUEVSKI - 00:26 25 Jul 2008
I feel bad for them and the Hellenes. That Guevski is a real dorkus! He is accomplishing absolutely nothing for FYROM. All this fuss over the HELLENES meanwhile they have been milking the Greek cash cow for ages!
Comments by Pan"Dora"s box - 09:35 25 Jul 2008
The Greeks cannot hide for much longer and it is time to close Greece's Pan"Dora"s box on the Macedonian minority issue. So blind and evil is a race such as the Greeks makes me shiver inside that a race exists like this today! You change your name, you wipe your own identity out! Grow up!
Comments by Peter - 12:20 25 Jul 2008
PM Gruevski has a right to ask EU on the plight of the Macedonian minority in Greece.The Macedonian Party of Ouranio Toxo has complained of Greek Human Rights violations in Greece to EU in Brussel.It is obvious,the EU does not care about Human Rights within its member States,aldo they jump to every opportunity to critisize China and others.If the EU realy cares about Human Rights,they must address this issue with Greece.The best thing can happen for the Republic of Macedonia is to stop negotiations with Greece on the name. Every people on this earth has a right to call itself what they are. We the Macedonians call our selfs MACEDONIANS.Furthermore, if Greece wants to change its name to Former Ottoman Republic,they may do so any time they wish.The EU has no bone to stand up for what its right.
Comments by Mediteraneano - 19:21 25 Jul 2008
No you cant call yourself whatever you want especially when your neigbor next door is the landlord .get the picture? No minority just a neighborhood of Slavs in FYROM. Keep FYROM hands offanything over the border into Greco territory. Never will happen in a billion years ...
Comments by European Citizen - UK - 20:37 25 Jul 2008
This is getting silly now. I'm British & at first everyone was saying that Greece was the side who was creating a problem. Well it's now clear that FYROM is the one who is trying its best to create problems wherever it can. I know that if a foreign country tried to steal a British name, we would most certainly slap it back down. I'm glad to see that the EU has firmly sided with Greece on this issue. FYROM shouldn't forget it's LARGE Albanian minority which has its rights trampled upon on a daily basis. Perhaps FYROM would learn a good lesson when the Albanians get bored of waiting for EU & NATO membership & take up arms for independence or union with Kosovo, or Albania.
Comments by Dana - 21:44 25 Jul 2008
Of course the EU don't want the "minority righs" for those Macedonians in Greese as well as those that fled Greece brought in to light - it will reveal Western EU's dirty little secret.
Comments by BT - 05:41 26 Jul 2008
How can a person take seriously the comments of a person who speaks of a 40% Albanian minority in Macedonia numbering 800 000. I mean with the limitless options that the internet offers you, you can at least check the CIA Factbook or any other source that speaks of the demographics of Macedonia to find out, within less than 5 seconds, that the Albanian minority in Macedonia numbers 25% which amounts to 500 000 of the total population. Seriously people. Do a 60 second research before you express ideas which you wish to be considered in a mature fashion. Thank you.
Comments by Rose - 02:06 27 Jul 2008
Quite frankly I DONT rely on the internet and Im sure I speak on behalf of the majority. Thats THE LAST place I get my TRUE & HONEST facts especially when the person in charge of the majority of PSEUDO maceodnian websites and fake domains with false information are FYROMIANS. I hate to sound mean but from what I read online FYROMIANS are biased and like to spread hate about the Hellenic people. Sad ... All this fuss about Greek land which FYROM has 100% no write . They will write about anything even if someone farted in FYROM oops a Hellene is responsible .Its that absurd! ALl I know is Macedonia is Greek . Alexander was DEFINATely Greek . PS a word to the free world . If your out there reading posts and websites from the SO CALLED REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA PSTTTTTTTTTT DONT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ!!! cya
Comments by G - 02:14 27 Jul 2008
FALSIFICATION OF HISTORY Opinions expressed from FYROM web sites: 1) Some of them believe they are descendants of ancient Macedonians 2) Some of them believe that they can consider themselves Macedonians since they live in a part of what used to be ancient Macedonia 3) Some of them believe they are Macedonians but not directly linked to ancient Macedonians 4) Some of them believe they are Macedonians because they are free to call themselves as they like! "We are Slavs who came to this area in the sixth century ... we are not descendants of the ancient Macedonians." Quote from FYROM'S President Mr. Kiro Gligorov. (from the Foreign Information Service Daily Report, Eastern Europe, February 26, 1992, p. 35. ) "We are Macedonians but we are Slav Macedonians. That's who we are! We have no connection to Alexander the Greek and his Macedonia. The ancient Macedonians no longer exist, they had disappeared from history long time ago. Our ancestors came here in the 5th and 6th century (AD)." Quote from FYROM'S President Mr. Kiro Gligorov. (from the Toronto Star newspaper, March 15, 1992) 22 January 1999: FYROM'S Ambassador in Washington, Mrs. Ljubica Acevshka, gave a speech on the present situation in the Balkans. At the end of her speech answering questions Mrs. Acevshka said: "We do not claim to be descendants of Alexander the Great." "Greece is FYROM'S second largest trading partner, and its number one investor. Instead of opting for war, we have chosen the mediation of the United Nations, with talks on the ambassadorial level under Mr. Vance and Mr. Nimitz." In reply to another question about the ethnic origin of the people of FYROM, Ambassador Achevska stated that "we are Slavs and we speak a Slav language." 24 February 1999: In an interview with the Ottawa Citizen, Gyordan Veselinov, FYROM'S Ambassador to Canada, admitted, "We are not related to the northern Greeks who produced leaders like Philip and Alexander the Great. We are a Slav people and our language is closely related to Bulgarian." He also commented "there is some confusion about the identity of the people of this country." "Bulgarian historians say FYROMIANS are of Bulgarian origin and their language developed from a Bulgarian dialect," which Skopje denies. But Sofia was also the first country to recognize FYROM'S independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991 and now favors its joining the EU. (August 2006 AFP) "Every FYROMIAN national who does not claim Albanian or Serbian origin has the right to declare a Bulgarian origin." This is an individual act in accordance with the historical reality of our common ethnic origin,” according to: Stefan Nikolov of the Agency for Bulgarians Abroad. (August 2006 AFP) If you are not the ancestors of Alexander The Great why you want to use his symbols his culture his name his history and claim the whole Macedonian land as your own when you only came in Macedonian land on the 6th century (A.D.)? The historic truth is that the Slavs descended into the region not before the 6th century long after ancient Macedonia was homogenized with the rest of Greece. They don't have any historical cultural or linguistic ties with ancient Macedonia and they would be really foolish if they officially claimed that they did. There is no historic or archaeological evidence connecting them with ancient Macedonia. In any case occupying 12% of ancient Macedonian land does not give them the right to steal the Macedonian history and culture. The Macedonian civilization was part of the ancient Greek civilization. It is part of Greece's national inheritance and it can not be used by anyone else. *A State Department Letter to Consular Officers of U.S.A U.S STATE DEPARTMENT Foreign Relations Vol. VIII Washington D.C. Circular Airgram (868.014/26 Dec. 1944) The Secretary of State to Certain Diplomatic and Consular Officers* The following is for your information and general guidance, but not for any positive action at this time. The Department has noted with considerable apprehension increasing propaganda rumors and semi-official statements in favor of an autonomous Macedonia, emanating principally from Bulgaria, but also from Yugoslav Partisan and other sources, with the implication that Greek territory would be included in the projected state. "This Government considers talk of Macedonian "nation", Macedonian "Fatherland", or Macedonia "national consciousness" to be unjustified demagoguery representing no ethnic nor political reality, and sees in its present revival a possible cloak for aggressive intentions against Greece". The approved policy of this Government is to oppose any revival of the Macedonian issue as related to Greece. The Greek section of Macedonia is largely inhabited by Greeks, and the Greek people are almost unanimously opposed to the creation of a Macedonian state. Allegations of serious Greek participation in any such agitation can be assumed to be false. This Government would regard as responsible any Government or group of Governments tolerating or encouraging menacing or aggressive acts of "Macedonian Forces" against Greece. The Department would appreciate any information pertinent to this subject which may come to your attention. Secretary of State STETTINIUS
 
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