What is in the name?

[Ivo Skoric]

So, Macedonia signed the agreement with the US not to extradite 
Americans to the international court.  More interestingly, it signed 
that agreement as a Republic of Macedonia, NOT under its 
officially recognized name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of 
Macedonia. Its government sees that as a 'great step forward' - 
Greek government has a headache.
ivo


RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 7, No. 125, Part II, 3 July 2003

MACEDONIAN PRIME MINISTER LAUDS 'GREAT STEP 
FORWARD' IN NAME
DISPUTE... Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski told MIA news 
agency on
2 July that he believes signing an extradition-immunity agreement
with the United States under the name Macedonia could be a major
breakthrough in the country's long-standing name dispute with 
Greece.
Responding to criticism that the country's constitutional name is 
Republic
of Macedonia, Crvenkovski said: "We have never had problems with 
the term
'republic' regarding the name dispute with Greece,... but the 
problem was
in regard to the term 'Macedonia.'" He cautioned, however, against
expecting a quick resolution of the name dispute, saying it will be 
"a
battle that will last." Under Greek pressure, the country was 
recognized
by the UN and other international institutions under the name 
Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM (see "RFE/RL 
Newsline," 27 June
and 2 July 2003). UB

...AS GREEK GOVERNMENT VOICES CONCERN. Greek Foreign 
Ministry
spokesman Panos Biglitis has expressed concern that the term
Macedonia was used in the Republic of Macedonia's
extradition-immunity agreement with the United States, Deutsche
Welle's "Monitor" reported on 2 July. According to Biglitis, Greek
Foreign Minister George Papandreou has contacted U.S. 
Ambassador to
Greece Thomas Miller and has also written a letter to U.S. 
Secretary
of State Colin Powell in connection with the matter. Biglitis
underscored that using the term Macedonia in a bilateral agreement
cannot be a "test for the final resolution of the name dispute,"
which can only be achieved under the auspices of the UN. UB