United Nations envoy Matthew Nimetz has suggested five official, alternative names for Macedonia in his final attempt to end its name dispute with neighboring Greece, Greek media reported Wednesday.
The replacement options emerged during talks between Nimetz and representatives from the two countries in Athens on Tuesday to break the deadlock, which has jeopardized bilateral relations for 15 years, Greek daily Kathimerini reported.
The newspaper revealed four of the five proposed composite names: Democratic Republic of Macedonia, Constitutional Republic of Macedonia, Independent Republic of Macedonia and Republic of Upper Macedonia.
Macedonia is officially called "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" (FYROM) at the United Nations, while the country sticks to its constitutional name, the Republic of Macedonia, in bilateral ties, which irritates its neighbor.
Greece said Macedonia's chosen name, under which the country declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, implies a territorial claim over the northern Greek province of Macedonia and could destabilize the region, a claim the FYROM government has always denied.
Nimetz said FYROM could keep its constitutional name in domestic and bilateral issues while using the composite name in affairs with international organizations and on its citizens' passports.
The two sides have not publicly commented on the proposals, but Kathimerini reported that Greek diplomats accepted the five alternatives as "a good basis for negotiations" and that one or two might be acceptable.
Acknowledging that his proposals would not overcome all the objections from both sides, Nimetz asked for a response from each government within two weeks, trying to reach a final solution before a planned NATO summit in April when the alliance will decide whether to admit FYROM.
Greece has threatened to veto Macedonia's accession to NATO and the European Union if it refuses to adopt a name acceptable to both sides.
Source: Xinhhua
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