Special US envoy Matthew Nimetz ended two-day talks yesterday with Skopje President Kiro Gligorov and Foreign Minister Stevo Crvenkovski, calling his talks "very good."
But Mr. Okin, (UN Skopje Mediator) Cyrus Vance's representative who accompanied Mr. Nimetz, cautioned there was still a great deal of work to be done, as there were serious issues that needed settlement. He added, however, it was important for both countries and the entire region that the problem be settled in a manner that was fair to both sides. Mr. Okin stressed that there was goodwill and political volition for a favourable outcome.
Mr. Nimetz made the statement in an exclusive interview with a private television station before his departure for Geneva. Asked whether his optimism prior to the talks was justified by results, Mr. Nimetz said: "Yes, I had very good talks with President Gligorov and Foreign Minister Crvenkovski."
Prior to his Skopje visit, Mr. Nimetz said he would urge the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) government to commence negotiations with Greece in a bid to resolve the current impasse between the two countries.
"The purpose of my visit is to facilitate direct talks between Athens and Skopje," he told reporters upon arrival in Skopje, adding: "the time has come to reach a final settlement." "We talked for about eight hours with Ambassador Okin, and we reviewed the issues in great depth," Mr. Nimetz told Channel A-1. "I think it was a very good meeting," he added.
Asked whether talks included consideration of the "small package," Mr. Nimetz said: "We are committed not to discuss the content of our talks with the press. Therefore, I will say nothing on the talks, but I can say that we have discussed here the same things that we have discussed in Athens. Both sides speak on the same ideas and we hope that there has been greater rapprochement here."
Asked whether he was optimistic the problem will be solved soon, Mr. Nimetz replied in the affirmative. "And I hope it will happen soon," he added.
Meanwhile, National Defence Minister Blagoya Chatzinski (phonetic spelling) said "the struggle for the name has been won." He spoke during an event in the town of Trnovo, on the occasion of a 1903 uprising. "It is fortunate that the decision of the European Union during the 1992 Lisbon Summit, which provided for the non-recognition of our state under the name 'Macedonia,' has not been implemented," he said.
Speaking at the same event, Mr. Gligorov made an indirect reference to the Greek-Skopje dispute, saying FYROM "has never hurt any of its neighbouring countries, while it has greatly suffered from the embargo and sanctions."
Greece reiterated yesterday the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) must drop claims to the name "Macedonia" in order to win recognition from Athens. "Greece will not recognise Skopje under the name Macedonia or any derivative (of Macedonia)," Press Minister and government spokesman Evangelos Venizelos said. He made the statement during an interview with a private radio station.
Athens has urged the landlocked former Yugoslav republic to stop using the name of its northern province of Macedonia, which it says implies territorial ambitions against Greece. Greece last year imposed a trade embargo on the neophyte Balkan state in a bid to prevent the Skopje government from using a Hellenic symbol (the Star of Vergina) on its flag and to delete expansionist language from the preamble of its constitution.
Mr. Venizelos said Greece would lift the embargo "the moment Skopje provides tangible moves on issues of the constitution and flag." The long-running dispute between Athens and Skopje has also drawn Washington's interest, concerned about further instability in the Balkans.
Mr. Venizelos said Mr. Nimetz' visit to the neighbouring state indicated US and international pressure on Skopje to mend fences with Athens. "The fact that Mr. Nimetz visited Skopje and not Greece indicates that the international community has realised the problem is the intransigent and provocative stance espoused by the leadership of the neighbouring state," Mr. Venizelos said. "It is therefore evident why pressure is being exerted on that side," the minister added.
US President Bill Clinton's special advisor arrives in Cyprus Aug. 20 for a two-day official visit, the Cyprus government confirmed yesterday, branding the visit as very important.
Cyprus government spokesman Yiannakis Cassoulides said the government was officially informed Tuesday, via diplomatic channels, of George Stephanopoulos' upcoming trip to the island republic. Mr. Cassoulides said Mr. Stephanopoulos is scheduled to have meetings with President of the Republic Glafcos Clerides and Foreign Minister Alecos Michaelides.
According to Mr. Cassoulides, the government regards Mr. Stephanopoulos' visit as falling within the scope of President Clinton's personal interest in the Cyprus problem. He said during his visit, Mr. Stephanopoulos will be briefed on Cyprus' positions on the issue.
"We believe that this is an important visit because Mr. Stephanopoulos is a special advisor to the president of the United States, who has recently decided to take a personal interest in the Cyprus problem," he said, adding that American interest in Cyprus had not decreased.
Mr. Cassoulides further said he was not aware whether Mr. Stephanopoulos would visit Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, or fly to Athens and Ankara.
The news of Mr. Stephanopoulos' trip was first disclosed by the "Simerini" newspaper, which reported that Mr. Stephanopoulos will visit Cyprus in an effort to promote a US-British initiative on Cyprus. The initiative is aimed at achieving a breakthrough in stalled UN-sponsored peace talks and making progress toward a federal solution ending the island's present division by Turkish forces occupying the northern part of the island.
Greece is in danger of losing considerable amounts of Community funds because after several months of postponements and delays it hasn't adopted a draft law on funding projects allowing for the import and distribution of natural gas. The warning was issued to Industry Minister Costas Simitis by European Union Energy Commissioner Christos Papoutsis.
Greece's Energy Ministry, in co-operation with the Public Natural Gas Enterprise (DEPA), prepared a relevant bill that was due to be tabled in Parliament for ratification last March.
In his letter to Mr. Simitis, the Greek EU Commissioner stressed the importance Greek authorities attributed to the project, citing the need for certain pending issues to be settled, which "to a great degree compromise the prospect of its implementation."
Mr. Papoutsis said lack of any legal framework had "negative repercussions over the past two years in the project being funded" by the Community, since the existence of a legal framework is necessary for both the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission's 17th General Department.
The lack of a legal framework is a cause of concern to the Commission since there is a risk of Community funds not being earmarked in time to finance the natural gas project, which the Community itself is directly interested in. Mr. Papoutsis also inquired as to whether the draft law will be submitted to the Parliamentary Recess Committee in August.
Greek Eurodeputy and Coalition of the Left and Progress (Synaspismos) party member Michalis Papayiannakis told the Skopje daily "Nova Makedonia" yesterday he was in favour of direct talks between Athens and Skopje.
In the third successive interview to the same newspaper by a Greek political figure, Mr. Papayiannakis said Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) should engage in direct talks, which will include the name issue.
Mr. Papayiannakis was quoted by the newspaper as describing Greece's imposition of trade sanctions against the neighbouring state as "an attempt to impose a pattern of behaviour."
Mr. Papayiannakis downplayed the significance of the "small" and "large" negotiation packages, saying talks between the two countries should focus on all issues of concern.
Acknowledging the fact that "no one wants to take the first step," he expressed concern as to the "political aims of the serious political forces" in FYROM.
In reference to the name issue, Mr. Papayiannakis said he was unable to see how the term "Macedonia" could be removed from the name. However, he added that it would be equally incomprehensible for Skopje to be called just "Macedonia," since that would lead to tensions as to which is the true Macedonia (the historical and geographical name of Greece's important northern province). He added that "the way people of that country call themselves is irrelevant to the official name of the country."
Mr. Papayiannakis further denounced the "language" employed by extreme organisations, saying slogans such as "Macedonia of the Aegean" or "Macedonia is Greek," trigger nationalistic friction between the two countries.
Mr. Papayiannakis' interview is the third published in a series of consecutive articles to "Nova Makedonia" by Greek political figures.
Defence Minister Gerasimos Arsenis was quoted as telling "Nova Makedonia" in an interview published Monday, that Athens would lift its trade sanctions against FYROM the moment it agreed to change its flag and constitution. His move to grant an interview to the Skopje paper, in which he also discussed issues related to Greece's armaments programmes and the service of the Greek soldiers, has been fiercely criticised by Opposition parties.
The main Opposition New Democracy party branded his move as "incomprehensible and a serious impropriety," while the Political Spring party in an announcement said the move "can only be perceived as a de facto recognition (of Skopje)."
In its Tuesday edition, "Nova Makedonia" ran an interview with Press and Media Minister Evangelos Venizelos, headlined "Norma-lisation of relations without recognition of the name."
The newspaper quoted Mr. Venizelos as touching upon existing problems in relations between the two countries, such as the name, Skopje's constitution and the symbols, and placing particular emphasis on Skopje's "hostile state propaganda" against Greece. He was quoted as saying, however, that normalisation of Greek-Skopje relations was in the common historical and political interests of the region.
The continuing occupation of part of Cyprus by Turkish troops is a daily violation of the Vienna III Agreement which provides for the adoption of humanistic measures to improve the conditions of the enclaved in the occupied sector, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.
In an announcement marking the 20th anniversary of the August 2, 1975 signing of the agreement, the Foreign Ministry's Information Department said the Turkish occupation offices, despite their occasional proclamations, have "not in the least complied with the terms of the agreement designed to ensure a dignified life" for the Greek Cypriots and Maronites remaining in the occupied north of the island republic.
On the contrary, the announcement said, Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash and his associates had "engaged in an effort for systematic violation of the human rights (of the enclaved), with the ultimate goal of chasing out,". It called on the international community to take a stand on the "terrorism and oppression" suffered by the enclaved and demand immediate application of the agreement.
The Vienna III Agreement, signed by present Cyprus President Glafcos Clerides (then the Greek Cypriot representative to the peace talks) and Mr. Denktash, was designed to provide a normal life for about 20,000 Greek Cypriots who chose to remain in the areas occupied by Turkey since the invasion.
The agreement safeguarded free movement and communication for the enclaved, their right to proper education and the right to exercise their religious rights, while it also gave the right to about 16,000 people who fled to Karpass peninsula, in the island's panhandle, to return to their homes and be reunited with their families.
A 28-page UN report prepared in March said the Turkish Cypriot side did not keep its commitment and that the life of the enclaved is "highly abnormal," while charges have been made that 24 enclaved have been murdered. Bulgarian Parliament leader satisfied with talks.
Visiting Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Blagovest Sendov said on arrival in Crete yesterday that he was very satisfied with his talks so far in Greece, which he described as "very successful."
Mr. Sendov said he had noted an identity of views between both sides with regard to Greek-Bulgarian relations, adding that all the Greek and Bulgarian political parties were in favour of the further improvement of bilateral relations.
Since arriving in Greece on Monday at the head of a Bulgarian parliamentary delegation on a week-long official visit, Mr. Sendov has had talks with President Kostis Stephanopoulos, main opposition New Democracy party leader Miltiades Evert, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) Secretary General Aleka Papariga and other political party representatives.
Shortly after arriving at Heraklion airport, Mr. Sendov was scheduled to depart for the seaside resort of Elounda. Speaking to reporters, he said that if his programme allowed and if Prime Minister Andreas Papandreou wished, he would meet with the premier. Mr. Papandreou is currently vacationing in Elounda.
Mr. Sendov will remain on Crete until Saturday when he is due to fly to Thessaloniki from where he will return to Bulgaria.
The Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Lt. Gen. Constantine Voulgaris, currently on an official visit to Bulgaria, will examine the a co-operation programme of the Greek and Bulgarian armed forces.
Greek-Bulgarian co-operation in the defence sector includes, among others, service and spare parts support by Bulgaria of Greek military equipment acquired from former Warsaw Pact countries, training of Bulgarian army personnel in Greece and promotion of joint exercises.
Gen. Voulgaris is scheduled to meet with the Chief of the Bulgarian Army General Staff, Gen. Tsvetan Totomirov and Bulgarian National Defence Under-Secretary Dimitar Mitkov. He is in Bulgaria at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart, Lt. Gen. Iliev Zakarin.
Gen. Voulgaris will be briefed on the structure and missions of the Bulgarian army and will visit training camps and military formations.
Parliament will discuss ratification of an agreement between Greece and the German Hochtief group for construction of the Spata Airport on Aug. 22, according to an announcement yesterday. The agreement, which has not yet been distributed, is scheduled to be discussed by the competent Parliamentary committee next week.
Cyprus yesterday invited applications for up to 400 Greeks to serve as volunteers in the island republic's National Guard for a period of five years. The invitation was announced yesterday in Thessaloniki by Cyprus' consul in the northern Greek port city, Sotiris Liasides.
Mr. Liasides told a press conference that the 400 to be selected would cover the National Guard's needs for specialised personnel following the purchase of modern weapons systems and would strengthen the guard "both qualitatively and quantitatively."
Asked if the hiring of Greeks was in any way connected with the Cyprus-Greece Single Defence Doctrine, Mr. Liasides replied: "By strengthening the National Guard, the defence doctrine is also indirectly strengthened."
Applicants must be Greek citizens having completed their secondary education, up to 30 years of age, or graduates of colleges or universities and up to 32 years of age. All candidates must have completed their compulsory military service with the Hellenic Armed Forces.
Successful applicants will join the National Guard with rank of corporal, unless they completed their national service as a reserve officer, in which case they will start with the rank of sergeant. The gross monthly earnings of a corporal is 468 Cyprus pounds (238,000 drachmas), while sergeants pay is 524 Cyprus pounds (267,000 drachmas).
After completing initial training, the volunteers will assume duties as operators and technicians for advanced technology weapons systems and drivers of armoured vehicles. At the end of the five-year term, the Greek soldiers will have the right to apply for a permanent position in the National Guard and Cypriot nationality.
The 400 positions are part of 500 initially announced for Cypriot nationals. Eventually, only 300 candidates applied, 100 of whom were eventually selected. Applications will be invited for a further 500 positions in the National Guard in autumn.