MACEDONIA / U-S (L) BY DAVID GOLLUST/WASHINGTON
DATE=5/17/95
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
NUMBER=2-178986
TITLE=MACEDONIA / U-S (L)
BYLINE=DAVID GOLLUST
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: THE DEFENSE MINISTER OF THE FORMER YUGOSLAV REPUBLIC OF
MACEDONIA HAS APPEALED FOR HELP IN ENDING THE GREEK ECONOMIC
BLOCKADE OF HIS COUNTRY. AS V-O-A'S DAVID GOLLUST REPORTS, THE
MACEDONIAN MINISTER -- BLAGOJ HANDZISKI (EDS: PRONOUNCED
BLAH'-GOY HAN'-JISKI) -- IS THE HIGHEST RANKING MEMBER OF HIS
GOVERNMENT TO PAY AN OFFICIAL VISIT TO WASHINGTON.
TEXT: THE MACEDONIAN DEFENSE CHIEF SAYS THE GREEK BLOCKADE IS
COSTING HIS COUNTRY MORE THAN 600-MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR -- A
QUARTER OF ITS ENTIRE GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. AND HE WARNS THAT
THE RESULTING ECONOMIC HARDSHIP IS EXACERBATING ETHNIC TENSIONS
IN HIS COUNTRY THAT COULD CAUSE THE BALKANS CONFLICT TO SPREAD
SOUTHWARD.
GREECE IMPOSED THE EMBARGO TO UNDERSCORE ITS OBJECTIONS TO THE
NEWLY INDEPENDENT COUNTRY'S USE OF THE NAME MACEDONIA, THE DESIGN
OF ITS FLAG, AND LANGUAGE IN ITS CONSTITUTION -- ALL OF WHICH,
ACCORDING TO GREECE, INFRINGES ON ITS CULTURAL HERITAGE AND
IMPLIES AMBITIONS BY THE SKOPJE GOVERNMENT ON THE NORTHWESTERN
GREEK REGION OF MACEDONIA.
MR. HANDZISKI, AT A NEWS CONFERENCE, SAID HIS COUNTRY HAS
MILITARY FORCES ONLY ONE-TENTH THE SIZE OF THOSE OF GREECE, AND
HAS, AND COULD HAVE, NO TERRITORIAL DESIGNS AGAINST THAT
COUNTRY. HEARD THROUGH AN INTERPRETER, HE APPEALED FOR U-S HELP
IN ARRANGING TALKS WITH GREECE -- AND SAID ALL ISSUES WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF THE NAME MACEDONIA WOULD BE ON THE TABLE:
/// HANDZISKI (INTERPERETER) ACTUALITY ///
THE PROBLEM OF THE NAME COULD NOT FALL UNDER ANY
DISCUSSION. YOU CANNOT CHANGE THE INDENTITY OF A
SINGLE PERSON -- LET ALONE OF A WHOLE NATION. ALL THE
OTHER PROBLEMS WITHIN THE DISPUTE WITH GREECE ARE
SOLVABLE WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME.
/// END ACT ///
MR. HANDZISKI MET EARLIER THIS WEEK WITH U-S DEFENSE SECRETARY
WILLIAM PERRY ON THE BALKANS CRISIS, AND THE AMERICAN-LED U-N
OBSERVER FORCE THAT HAS BEEN STATIONED IN MACEDONIA FOR THE PAST
TWO YEARS.
HE SAID THE FORCE, WHICH INCLUDES ABOUT 550 U-S TROOPS, HAS BEEN
ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL SUCH DEPLOYMENTS IN UNITED NATIONS
HISTORY -- BUT HE SAID IT MIGHT HAVE TO BE EXPANDED, IF THE
FIGHTING IN BOSNIA AND CROATIA CONTINUES TO ESCALATE:
/// HANDZISKI ACTUALITY 2 ///
WE FOLLOW CLOSELY THE SITUATION UP NORTH. AND IT'S VERY
CLEAR THAT SHOULD A DRASTIC CHANGE OF THE SITUATION UP
NORTH OCCUR, THE PRESENT MANDATE WILL HAVE TO BE
RECONSIDERED. AND IN ORDER TO PRESERVE THE PEACE AND
STABILITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA, IT WILL BE
NECESSARY TO CHANGE THE MANDATE, THE COMPOSITION AND THE
SIZE OF THE FORCES.
/// END ACT 2 ///
THE MACEDONIAN DEFENSE MINISTER URGED THE UNITED STATES TO GRANT
HIS COUNTRY FULL DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS, SAYING THAT WOULD BE OF
VITAL IMPORTANCE TO MACEDONIA'S FUTURE STABILITY AND AN IMPORTANT
SIGNAL TO ITS NEIGHBORS. THE UNITED STATES RECOGNIZED THE
COUNTRY IN 1993. BUT IT HAS WITHHELD SENDING AN AMBASSADOR TO
SKOPJE PENDING PROGRESS ON THE VARIOUS ISSUES OF DISPUTE WITH
GREECE. (SIGNED)
NEB/DAG/JWH
17-May-95 2:59 PM EDT (1859 UTC)
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Source: Voice of America
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