Released on: November 6, 2007, 10:30 am

Press Release Author: topnews

Industry: Financial

Press Release Summary: Top Macedonian officials said Thursday they would not accept
any attempts to change the name of their tiny Balkan nation despite a Greek warning
that Athens would block Skopje\'s bid to join NATO and the European Union, media
reported.

Press Release Body: Macedonian President Branko Crvenkovski, Prime Minister Nikola
Gruevski and the leading negotiator in the dispute with Greece, Nikola Dimitrov,
\"have a unanimous stance that no one can change the name of the state,\" private TV
A1 reported.

Greece has for some 15 years refused to recognize the name of the former Yugoslav
republic because it is the same as the northern Greek province of Macedonia.

Negotiations have been under way since 1993 under UN auspices to resolve the
dispute, but have so far failed to reach a solution.

Macedonia joined the United Nations as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, or
FYROM, but several countries including the United States, China, Russia and Turkey
have recognized its constitutional name of Macedonia.

Earlier this month, Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis appealed to Skopje to
reach a compromise over using the name Macedonia.

She called on Skopje \"to advance on this question,\" underlining that NATO was due to
invite the Balkan nation to join the military alliance in early 2008.

During the more than 15-year argument between the two countries many names have been
proposed -- New Macedonia, North Macedonia, Macedonia of Vardar (referring to the
river that crosses the country) and finally, Macedonia-Skopje Republic, which was
rejected by Skopje in 2005.

Skopje wants the name Macedonian Republic, which is found in the constitution, to be
used in international relations, with the exception of its relations with Athens,
where an acceptable name for both parties would be used.

Web Site:

Contact Details: Athens, Greece