Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski said on Friday his country's new name put forward by a UN mediator might be determined by a referendum or the country's parliament vote.
UN envoy Matthew Nimetz suggested on Tuesday in New York that Macedonia change its name to the "Republic of Macedonia (Skopje)" to end a name dispute with Greece and clear the way for its NATO membership.
"We are considering the idea of holding a referendum. But if that's impossible, the parliament will vote on the issue," news reaching here form Skopje quoted Gruevski as saying.
Macedonia declined to say it would accept "Republic of Macedonia" as a compromise, and Greece's position on the issue is not clear either.
Macedonia and its southern neighbor Greece is engaged in a name dispute which broke out shortly after Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.
Greece has said the country's name, the Republic of Macedonia, implies a territorial claim over the northern Greek province of Macedonia and could destabilize the region.
Greece has threatened to use its NATO-member status to veto Macedonia's accession efforts at the alliance's April 2-4 summit in Bucharest, capital of Romania, if there is no agreement on the name issue by then.
Source: Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article