I was settling in for an evening with friends on Friday night when my mobile rang. "Ms. Brownell, this is the Greek Embassy in Washington," the caller informed me. "We wanted to talk with you about the interview you did with the foreign minister from FYROM." My heart sank. I knew why he was calling, and that my relaxing Friday evening was not going to happen. FYROM (pronounced "Figh-Rahm") is the international shorthand for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. There is a huge debate at the moment between Greece and its neighbor to the north. My interview (http://www.newsweek.com/id/129146) with the Macedonian foreign minister, it turns out, added fuel to an already flaming diplomatic fire. The Greek foreign minister now wanted to give me the Greek point of view, which he proceeded to do.
Afterwards I called a Greek friend of mine and told her the story. She did not assuage my fear that I had somehow contributed to a diplomatic incident. "Yeah, no kidding they're are mad and I think now there is no way they will agree on a name," she said. She was right: at meetings on Saturday, Greece rejected every name proposed, and now this week's NATO summit looks to be fraught. "I think your piece is the reason why they are pissed off," my Greek friend texted me on Saturday. "You have brought on a diplomatic deadlock." Of course, she was joking. I think.
Here, in full, is the Greek response:
RESPONSE BY GREEK AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.
TO THE INTERVIEW OF FOREIGN MINISTER MILOSOSKI
The Foreign Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) invents non-existent minorities and resorts to nationalistic practices of the past in interpreting Greece's position on the enlargement of NATO and the invitation to his country to join the Alliance. ("What is in a Name?" - Newsweek Web exclusive, March 26, 2008).From the outset, regarding Mr. Miloskoski's claims on minorities, I should point out that "people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones".
Allow me to explain Greece's position on the enlargement of NATO to the Western Balkans that will be decided at next week's Summit meeting in Bucharest, Romania.
Greece, a member of NATO since 1952, has been a strong advocate of the integration of Southeastern Europe into the Euroatlantic Institutions. On the basis of this strategic choice, we support NATO's "open door" policy. An open door policy, however, must be based on the principles of good neighborly relations and allied solidarity.
Greece supports the enlargement of NATO in the Western Balkans, with the invitations to Croatia and Albania. Ιt is ready also to welcome the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), provided that our northern neighbor shifts from their nationalistic logic and agree to a mutually agreeable name for international use that differentiates the new Balkan state from the Greek province of Macedonia; a name that will not be a vehicle for propaganda and irredentism against a neighboring NATO member.
Athens has shown its good will towards Skopje in many ways. It has supported its neighbor, both politically and economically, ranking as the number one foreign investor in that country, with $1 billion invested capital that has generated 30,000 new jobs. Most recently, we went the extra mile, or rather the most important mile, when we expressed our readiness to agree to a composite name with a geographic qualifier. This is a major shift from Greece's initial position, which excluded any use of the term "Macedonia", in the name of our neighbor.
Contrary to Mr. Milososki's claims the name issue is not a bilateral one. It is an international issue, which concerns our broader region. Directly, or indirectly, it concerns NATO and the U.N. And, if not resolved now, it may fester to poison future generations, undermining stability and cooperation in the 21st century.
On this issue, we are not alone. 115 members of the U.S. Congress, from both parties, support House Resolution 356, expressing the "sense of the House of Representatives that FYROM should stop hostile activities and propaganda against Greece, and should work with the United Nations and Greece to find a mutually acceptable official name".
A similar resolution, S.R. 300, was introduced in the Senate by Senators Robert Menendez, Barrack Obama and Olympia Snowe.
Greece has called upon FYROM's leadership to act responsibly and show political courage and meet Greece half way. It will be a responsible move on the part of an aspiring candidate, a move that will win them a European future, a future of stability, peace and economic prosperity, based on the principles upon which NATO and the European Union are founded.
Alexandros P. Mallias
Ambassador of Greece to the United States
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