PM meets foreign, defence ministers

[Ellinas]

Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Saturday had a meeting with Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis and National Defence Minister Vangelis Meimarakis to discuss foreign policy and defence-related issues.

Meimarakis was the first to leave the meeting, which continued with the prime minister and foreign minister alone.

In statements as he was leaving, Meimarakis said they had carried out a broad overview of foreign policy affairs, confirming that Greece had adopted the correct position on all the issues discussed.

Questioned about the possible use of the name "New Macedonia" by the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the defence minister stressed that the meeting had not focused on specific names.

"We have outlined the characteristics [of the name] and we are waiting for the negotiator's proposals," he added.

He also confirmed that the talks had covered Afghanistan and Kosovo.

When Bakoyannis emerged from the meeting with the premier, she said their discussion had covered all foreign policy issues and underlined that in the issue of FYROM's name "the negotiation is continuing and will continue at a more intense pace once the pre-election period at Skopje is over. From there on, we hope that we will have the chance to continue," she said.

Regarding the name "New Macedonia" she also echoed Meimarakis, saying that the government "is very far from discussing names".

"There are a lot of names that are being heard and discussed but that is not where we are," she said.

ANA