Greece wants Macedonia solution

GREECE is to block neighbour Macedonia from joining Nato or the EU unless a dispute over the Balkan nation’s name is resolved.

Greece objects to the country’s constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, because it says it implies territorial claims toward Greece, which has a territory called Macedonia.

The US, however, announced on Thursday it was recognising the name, bringing a sharp complaint from the Greek government.

Greece’s warning yesterday appeared aimed at preventing European nations from following the US lead.

“It is well known that the accession of a European country to the EU or Nato requires the unanimous agreement of all existing members,” government spokesman Evangelos

Antonaros said.

“Greece will not be part of such a decision unless a commonly acceptable solution is reached.”

Macedonia, which won independence from Yugoslavia, joined the United Nations under the name ‘Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia’, or FYRM, to sidestep Greek objections.

Greece, the EU and international organisations use the FYRM acronym to refer to Macedonia.

The EU said it has no plans to change its policy on the name.

US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the decision to recognise Macedonia’s name came in part to boost the government as it tries to defeat a referendum backed by the country’s nationalists that would block a new decentralisation law.

The law would give the Balkan country’s ethnic Albanians more power.