From Greg Milam, Sky News Europe Correspondent
It is just about the most exhausting issue at this summit.
It is a "Balkanic problem that no-one can understand". So I'm told, anyway.
The debate over what the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia should be called (and what the Greeks think) could indeed be a mystery to many.
But where it matters it is serious. And it has attained global attention at this NATO summit.
"Doesn't it make NATO look silly that a country can be vetoed simply because of its name?" Condoleeza Rice was asked at a news conference.
No, she said, but her boss, the president, was so angry it is said he threatened to veto the invitation to Croatia and Albania to join. Now that would have been silly.
The Macedonians (if I may call them that) stormed out, hurt that the thing we all knew would happen had in fact happened.
"It is up to the government of FYROM to make a move," a Greek journalist told me. What would Greece accept? New Macedonia, Upper Macedonia, he said.
Maybe they could opt for a squiggle instead of a name, like Prince did.
No-one doubts Macedonia WILL join. One day. But when someone starts a sentence with: "It all goes back to Alexander The Great.." prepare for a long conversation.
Tom. You are obviously a Bulgarian reject from FYROM, propaganda has taken over your brain. What your saying is all rubbish. Macedonia was a province in ancient Greece. Haplography proves your Slavic heritige. 1913 was the Balkan wars were Macedonia was split from Greece. Why did the ancient Macedonians worship the Greek gods, speak Greek and have Greek names?
Posted by: Tony, London Apr 16, 2008 9:05:33 AM
Firstly, Alexander was clearly Macedonian, not Greek and he conquered Greece! Secondly, today's Greeks are not even remotely related to the ancient Greeks. Today's Greeks are mostly Egyptians who settled there later on. Why did Greece dare to veto Macedonian invitation to join NATO at such a high price (set US against themselves)? Because they have fears. The truth is that Greece annexed a large piece of Macedonian land in 1913 where more than a million Macedonians leave without any rights to declare themselves as Macedonians, where Macedonian language must not be spoken because otherwise they get jailed, tortured and assimilated. And all of that is happening in the 21st century in the country considered to be the birthplace of the western civilization. There is something radically wrong here.
Posted by: thomas, kogarah Apr 10, 2008 7:20:17 AM
Naturally without an Identity it would be most difficult a task to establish who's who let alone what's what, as one EU minister found out when he forgot to name his flight luggage. So,[Falco-Rock Me Amadeus]!
Posted by: Khalid Apr 8, 2008 5:46:06 AM
I was made aware of this difference when discussing alex not the great in the history board of the bbc; macedonia was a province / colony of the greek Macedonia. The greeks are right...
Posted by: Paul, Benoni Apr 6, 2008 2:02:18 PM
Greece-Democracy-HMMMM ?.....
Don't think so unless they were different people! HMMMMM>>>>
Posted by: Tony Sydney Apr 4, 2008 9:37:39 AM