Greece gives a determined 'No' to Macedonia's NATO membership unless it changes name

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Greece gives a determined 'No' to FYROM

Greece gives a determined 'No' to Macedonia's NATO membership unless it changes name

Thursday, March 20, 2008
TIRANA, Albania: Greece maintained its threat to veto Macedonia's efforts to join NATO Thursday, less than two weeks before a crucial NATO summit in Romania.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said Athens will not allow its northern neighbor to join the alliance unless a dispute over Macedonia's name is resolved. Macedonia hopes to be asked to join NATO at the April 2-4 summit in Bucharest.

Athens argues that its neighbor's name implies territorial claims on the northern Greek province of the same name.

Greece refers to its neighbor as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or FYROM, the name used by the U.N. and other international organizations. But more than 120 countries, including the U.S., Russia and Canada, have recognized it as Macedonia.

Bakoyannis, who spoke during an official visit to Albania, said Greece would support NATO membership bids by Croatia and Albania at the summit.

"We are supporting Albania. We are supporting Croatia. We will not accept FYROM" unless the name issue is resolved, she said.

U.N. envoy Matthew Nimetz has invited Greek and Macedonian negotiators to New York for further talks next week.

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