SKOPJE, SEPTEMBER 21, 1995 (MIC)
The President of the Republic of Macedonia Kiro Gligorov yesterday received the delegation of the U.S. Defence Ministry, led by the Secretary of Army Togo West. In the talks, President Gligorov welcomed the to-date successful development of cooperation between Macedonia and the U.S.A. in the field of defence, expressing the conviction that with the establishment of diplomatic relations, the cooperation in this field will gain in contents and dynamics. The American side reiterated its readiness to advance the programs for cooperation with the Macedonian army, as well as the support the U.S. will give to Macedonia in this field on an international plan.
The two sides expressed satisfaction with the participation of the U.S. battalion in the peace-keeping forces of the UN in Macedonia. They exchanged opinions on the situation in the region, emphasizing the positive bearing of the latest developments in the Macedonian-Greek relations for the peace and stability on the Balkans.
As part of the one-day visit to Macedonia, the Secretary of the U.S. Army Togo West had a meeting with Defence Minister Blagoy Handziski and the Chief of the General Staff of the Macedonian Army, General Dragoljub Bocinov.
Following these talks, West said, among the rest: "I just had a pleasant meeting with President Gligorov, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Army. The aim of my visit is to visit my soldiers who are a part of the UN-UNPREDEP forces deployed along the borders of this Republic and Serbia. I'm also taking this opportunity to congratulate You on the recent accord with Greece. I feel this will contribute for many good things for the whole region to happen."
The Republic of Macedonia is taking an active part in the work of the 50th session of the UN General Assembly. As the Foreign Ministry informs, the Republic of Macedonia is the chairman of one of the chief Committees of the General Assembly. Namely, the second Committee for international economic issues, which will be presided over by ambassador Goce Petreski.
President Gligorov is expected to take part in the formal session on the occasion of the 50 year anniversary of the UN, while Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski will be taking part in the general debate of the Assembly.
Following the progress in the Greek-Macedonian relations, it will soon be possible to reach a reasonable compromise with Skopje on the question of the language, the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Georgi Pirinski projected, in front of the parliamentary group of the democratic left-wing in the Bulgarian Assembly.
Pirinski informed the MPs about the fact that 23 documents between Bulgaria and Macedonia have not been signed on account of the language problem.
Until now, Bulgaria insisted that the documents be signed in the official languages of the two countries, while Macedonia insisted that it be noted that the documents should be signed both in Macedonian and Bulgarian language.
The Foreign Minister of new Yugoslavia Milan Milutinovic, until recently ambassador to Athens, said yesterday, following his meeting with Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou and Karolos Papoulias, that regardless of the phases the Greek- Serbian relations were going through, his country would not recognize the Republic of Macedonia, before the question related to the name was solved. Otherwise, the meeting was dedicated to the latest developments in former Yugoslavia.
If the dilemmas concerning the fulfillment of the obligations from the Interim Accord, at least as far as Macedonia ((The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia -- FYROM)) is concerned, have finally come to an end, that is Macedonia will positively fulfill what has been agreed, it is still not clear when and where meetings between Macedonian and Greek diplomats will be continued and whether the Macedonian side will accept to negotiate, that is discuss the differences about the name as our diplomats say. At this point, the only statement that we can extract from our diplomats on the question whether Macedonia will discuss the name is ambiguous. "Well, we shall see." They do not want to say precisely whether it means that "there are no negotiations on the name" or whether it leaves possibilities for sitting on a table with Greece in the near or far future and "discuss" the name.
The fact that this crucial point in dispute between the two states, that is a point that is in dispute for Greece, is missing from the New York document, can only indicate that either the question about the name has been "frozen" and left for the future when the good will of "both sides" will be tested in the accomplishment of the New York accord or that the sides have agreed that they disagree.
Terminological Tactics
Macedonia's view concerning the name seems to be stable and unchanged. It was for the first time articulated by President Gligorov during his visit to Paris and at his meeting with former president Francois Mitterand when he said that "we remain for ourselves and for the whole world the Republic of Macedonia, and as far as Greece is concerned, it can call us any way it pleases." This seems to be a step further than what Macedonia now has in its pocket: Greece calls us as it pleases (it will recognize us by the name FYR Macedonia), half of the world that has recognized us calls us the way we want (Republic of Macedonia), while the other half has recognized us under the provisional name.
However, the absurd situation was reaffirmed by the U.S. President's special envoy Matthew Nemitz at the recent news conference in New York. Without the burden of a diplomat, because his mission was accomplished, asked by the Greek journalists how the problem of the name was going to be solved, Nemitz simply replied that the "country has its constitutional name -- Republic of Macedonia." According to Nemitz, the FYROM is "just a reference, and not a name, as is the United States a former British colony, but that is not its name!" Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski spoke on this subject in his interview for the U.S. Television Network CNN. Realizing that he could not avoid that question, but also being aware that he must not present an obstacle for the revival of the Greek-Macedonian dialogue, Crvenkovski used the old terminological tactics. Macedonia's Foreign Minister said that there are not going to be "negotiations" on the name and that there "are going to be discussions on the differences that both sides have concerning the name" with the Greek counterparts. Perhaps this distinction is of substance for the diplomats, but the public here understands them as two identical items.
No Quick Happy End
There is no doubt that we can expect, if not tiring, then certainly complicated future relations with Greece. The fact that the name is missing from the New York Accord does not ease the communications at all, on the contrary, it gives room and possibilities for Athens to strain or extenuate the situation as it pleases. Bilaterally speaking, in such a case Macedonia, it seems, will again be in a subordinate position, by giving the initiative to the "adversary" in defining the future climate between the two countries. Moreover, there remains a possibility, when soon a more intensive exchange on the border begins, when the interrupted links and communications are established, for Greece and the Greeks to realize how absurd the hitherto attitude has been. There are such opportunities, but of course, if all this comes to life and if it is not transformed into a repetition of the situation before the embargo, when the Greek border officers, together with the clerks in the Skopje Consulate, decided who can get a visa and who can cross the border as it pleased them, and when the Macedonian citizens were exposed to maltreatment. Greek Foreign Minister Karolos Papoulias said in New York that the Greek entrepreneurs, particularly those in northern Greece, allegedly looked forward to opening the border. There is no need for us to mention that our tradesmen, businessmen, and travel agencies are equally impatient. It is clear that they can hardly wait for the experts of the two states to agree on the details about the use of the documents and their shape, the recognition of the permits, confirmations, and passports (the first step, whether intentionally or not, has already been made by sticking a label over the sign RM on the car registrations), so as to have columns on both sides of the border, which is an ordinary picture on a border between two states that are located on such an important transfer line.
Nevertheless, the greater responsibility is on Athens, although Macedonia's responsibility must not be minimized. Most of the obstructions can arrive from there ((Athens)). This is an opportunity for Greece to show its European face and all the tolerance that, we would like to believe, it possesses deep inside. Nevertheless, it is hard to believe in a real, let alone quick happy end, because it does not coincide with the Balkan cloak that we are all wearing and that is forcing us to be spiteful, disdainful, and conducted by policy instead of interests. How can we define the latest reaction of a group of mayors in northern Greece, as our correspondent from Athens informed, if not as conducting policy, when they protested against the Interim Accord and emphasized that the "local self- management will persist on the basic stances that were expressed at the rallies in Thessaloniki and Athens in 1992 and 1994," which definitely remind of the slogans from the early years of communism and which are certainly far from the real interests of their societies and citizens, and near to day-by-day policy and quasi patriotism.
Four new EBRD projects were announced in Skopje yesterday. Firstly, the opening of a credit line with four Macedonian banks (Stopanska, Makedonska, Almako and Export-Import) for investments in small and medium-sized companies, up to some 40 million DEM. The loan for reconstruction of the runway of the Skopje airport will amount to 20 million DEM. The project for the development of the gas line network in the Skopje region, which is presently in the first phase of review is announced as the chief project for next year. And, finally, the EBRD is prepared to take part in the ownership of "Komercijalna banka" in Skopje.