ICG’s Whyte Says US Will Not Change Decision on Name Despite Pressures
(Reported on 17.04.2005 on electronic and on 18.04.2005 in print media)
The US decision to recognise Macedonia under its constitutional name cannot be changed, although it is clear that certain pressure is put on the State Department, the director of the International Crisis Group for the Balkans Nicholas Whyte said in an interview for BBC in Macedonian. “It is clear that for the Americans this is a key decision which wouldn’t be changed even if a new administration is elected at the next elections”, he said. Whyte added that pressure is put on Macedonia and Greece to find a solution, but according to him the Macedonian Government would be under stronger pressure from the EU only if it is estimated that it refuses to accept a reasonable solution. “After the US decision last November to recognise the constitutional name, it is clear that the word Macedonia will be part of the possible solution. That is what was happening last week. I think that the Greeks were trying to accustom its public to the idea that the possible solution will include the word Macedonia in the official name of the country”, Whyte said. Also, the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Valinakis, who last week visited Brussels, Berlin and Strasbourg lobbying for the proposal “Republika Makedonija-Skopje”, announced that this week as a result of his pressure an EU delegation would come to Skopje and pressurise the Macedonian Government to succumb. Valinakis opened the name issue at the EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg and managed to include it on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council of Europe body on foreign policy on 25 and 26 April. According to him, the EU ministers listened to him carefully and backed up his position that Greece and Macedonia should agree on a mutually acceptable solution for the name issue. Also, the director of the American Institute for the Balkans Janos Bugajski in an interview for the Tirana TV Top Kanal said that Macedonia’s constitutional name should be recognised. He further said that the implementation of the Framework Agreement should be the priority of all political forces in Macedonia. On another note, former PM Georgievski claims that Macedonia is alone once again in the dispute with Greece. “It is really unfortunate that we have to realise that we are alone once again in the battle for the name. It is a fact that for 12 years our country is FYROM for all international organisations”, Georgievski said. He believes that at the moment Macedonia is in a very difficult situation because the position of the EU and the US has changed. “In the forthcoming period the pressure on Macedonia for making a concession would intensify”, Georgievski concluded.
The US decision to recognise Macedonia under its constitutional name cannot be changed, although it is clear that certain pressure is put on the State Department, the director of the International Crisis Group for the Balkans Nicholas Whyte said in an interview for BBC in Macedonian. “It is clear that for the Americans this is a key decision which wouldn’t be changed even if a new administration is elected at the next elections”, he said. Whyte added that pressure is put on Macedonia and Greece to find a solution, but according to him the Macedonian Government would be under stronger pressure from the EU only if it is estimated that it refuses to accept a reasonable solution. “After the US decision last November to recognise the constitutional name, it is clear that the word Macedonia will be part of the possible solution. That is what was happening last week. I think that the Greeks were trying to accustom its public to the idea that the possible solution will include the word Macedonia in the official name of the country”, Whyte said. Also, the Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Valinakis, who last week visited Brussels, Berlin and Strasbourg lobbying for the proposal “Republika Makedonija-Skopje”, announced that this week as a result of his pressure an EU delegation would come to Skopje and pressurise the Macedonian Government to succumb. Valinakis opened the name issue at the EU ministerial meeting in Luxembourg and managed to include it on the agenda for the next meeting of the Council of Europe body on foreign policy on 25 and 26 April. According to him, the EU ministers listened to him carefully and backed up his position that Greece and Macedonia should agree on a mutually acceptable solution for the name issue. Also, the director of the American Institute for the Balkans Janos Bugajski in an interview for the Tirana TV Top Kanal said that Macedonia’s constitutional name should be recognised. He further said that the implementation of the Framework Agreement should be the priority of all political forces in Macedonia. On another note, former PM Georgievski claims that Macedonia is alone once again in the dispute with Greece. “It is really unfortunate that we have to realise that we are alone once again in the battle for the name. It is a fact that for 12 years our country is FYROM for all international organisations”, Georgievski said. He believes that at the moment Macedonia is in a very difficult situation because the position of the EU and the US has changed. “In the forthcoming period the pressure on Macedonia for making a concession would intensify”, Georgievski concluded.