I was just sitting here thinking about this issue,and trying to put myself in the shoes of the people of FYROM.
I think I would also be pissed off if someone else was trying to tell me who I am and what I can or cant call myself.The politics aside if these people truly in their hearts believe that they are who they are,what can one do?.
I hope that this issue is resolved and that Greece is able to claim at least some partial victory ,but if someone really believes in something ,in the long run the quest might be doomed.
your thoughts friends?

I just LOVE How they dramatise everything and exaggerate to no end, just to reassure them selves.

Is this not some laughable shit or what.

I thought it was a rather strange article.It seems to inflame tension,rather than pour a bucket of cold water over it.
I guess we will have to wait to see what the next step will be.I have no idea what it will be .This issue has me beaten.

Of course they do. Their media outlets have been on a roll that Greece is now isolated and that not being in Nato is actually good thing. They're actually boasting about the possibility on becoming yankee biatches. Check out these gems:

What their sites are also starting to do is give the authors to their articles non-skop names, just to give the impression of massive foreign support. The above article was written by a William Reihman who signed off with:

Seriously, this country has lost the plot.

i have heard FYROM claims back the empire alexander built , hence the US invasion in iraq and shortly in iran. Syria comes next , pakistan will be troublesome (nukes). i guess we will have to wait and see

I guess this means that no solution will happen until after their elections,and then in all likelyhood the Greeks will call an election as the current government has a majority of one.
The dispute drags on and on and on

Macedonian parliament votes for early election

By Kole Casule
Reuters
Friday, April 11, 2008; 9:03 PM

SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonian legislators voted to dissolve parliament on Saturday, clearing the way for an early election after months of political stagnation and rejection of the country's NATO membership bid.

Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's fractious ruling coalition backed the motion, which ushers in a new period of political uncertainty in the Balkan republic less than two years since the government took office. The poll must be held within two months.

"I can state that parliament has accepted the decision to dissolve," parliament speaker Ljubisa Georgijevski said after 70 of the 120 deputies voted for the motion.

The multi-ethnic government has been in turmoil for months over the country's reform path and rights for the large ethnic Albanian minority.

The final blow occurred in early April when Greece blocked an invitation for Macedonia to join NATO in a dispute over the country's name, which is the same as that of Greece's northern province, birthplace of Alexander the Great.

The two have been unable to agree on a name since Macedonia declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Macedonia borders newly independent Kosovo, and was rescued from an all-out ethnic civil war in 2001 by NATO and European Union mediation. Western powers are watching closely for signs of renewed ethnic tension.

"Over the next few days we will coordinate when to hold the election," said a senior government source, declining to be named. "Most probably we will go to the polls on June 1 or 8."

Anti-Greek feelings are running high and some analysts say Gruevski's conservative VMRO-DPMNE party hopes to capitalize on the sentiment to secure a new, stronger four-year mandate.

Others fear the deadlock with Greece, high unemployment and lack of economic development could feed frustration among the 25 percent ethnic Albanian minority.

Ethnic Albanians were offered greater rights and representation under a 2001 peace accord, brokered by the West to end an insurgency that followed the Kosovo Albanians' 1999 guerrilla war for independence from Serbia.

The accord took years to come to fruition, and some ethnic Albanian leaders say it still does not go far enough.

President Branko Crvenkovski and his party, the opposition Social Democrats, opposed an early election, saying it would keep the country in a damaging limbo.

Macedonia is also bidding for EU accession talks, which Brussels has suggested could begin later this year.

(Writing by Matt Robinson)

just remembeed:
Mythos - Hellenic Beer

Hellenic Police
Hellenic Coast Guard

would be something like:
Turkic Beer - Efes Pilsen
Turkic Police
Turkic Coast Guard

What has that got to do with FYROM?

Here we go again...



Greece-FYROM: Nimetz to send fresh invitations to both countries
11:55 - 11 April 2008
Developments are expected within the following weeks on Skopje issue as UN special mediator Matthew Nimetz will send fresh invitations to both countries for a new round of talks.
Bakoyannis Contacts Developments on the name issue were at the focus of discussions held by the Greek FM Dora Bakoyiannis with the Russian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Vladimir Titov.

"Russia is ready to accept a mutually accepted solution agreed by Greece and FYROM", the Russian official said.

The Bakoyannis-Titov agenda also included the Cyprus issue, Kosovo, bilateral relations with emphasis on energy policy and of course the preparation of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis’ visit to Moscow perhaps at the end of April.

Ms Bakoyannis met with Matthew J. Bryza, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Mr Bryza stated that if both sides commence negotiating then there is a chance for a solution to be found.

Greek Foreign Ministry spokesman George Koumoutsakos described the Bakoyannis-Bryza meeting very good, adding that they focused on the FYROM name issue and the results of the NATO Summit Meeting.

Earlier, addressing the Economist, Mr Bryza referred to Greece’s leading role in the region, adding that Washington understands Greece’s sensitiveness on the issue.

omg! sorry there was a Hellenic stuff in first page I forgot to quote that.

Here we go with boycotts and bans again.Whats the bet this company goes broke in a very short space of time.

Stip's tourist agency boycotts Greece
Sunday, 13 April 2008
The owner of "Mediteran" tourist agency from Stip, Vane Eftimov, has cut all business ties with Greek colleagues.

Mr. Eftimov had sacrificed all of his arrangements that he had already paid for at different coastal cities in Greece.

The anti Macedonian campaign from Greece were the main reasons for “Mediteran” to cut ties with Greece.

“With our decision to cut business ties with Greek tourist agencies, our customers wont be affected. We can refund their money or they can choose to vacation somewhere else.” says Eftimov. Just last year, close to a 1000 people from Stip went on vacation to Greece.

“This year, we have better, more attractive offers to various destinations.” concluded Eftimov.

Just last year, close to a 1000 people from Stip


He is indeed a succesful businessman

And the dispute goes on.Now our friends in the north add more oil to the fire

Greece says Macedonia remains captive of irredentist policy

Athens /26/05/ 10:38

Greece blamed the officials and church leaders in Macedonia of irredentist policy that jeopardizes the Balkans' stability and hampers the country's entry into EU and
NATO.

The la-*test*-('") verbal flare-up came during a memorial service in Rome at the tomb of St. Cyril on Saturday, after the statement of Archbishop Stefan, the head of Macedonian Orthodox Church, who claimed that Greece denies the existence of the Macedonian nation and Macedonian Church.

"St. Cyril, today in your and our Thessaloniki, everything you did has turned to stone. Today, in your city of birth, everything has been rendered ashes and dust, and not a single letter remains from your and our language. Today it is forbidden not only that this language be spoken, but its very existence itself. Everything Macedonian is persecuted and displaced, while the name of our country and church, and the truth itself, is disputed," Archbishop Stefan said during the memorial event for St Cyril held at San Clemente church in Vatican.

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis said "such irredentist statements are dangerous for regional cooperation and stability in the fragile region of the Balkans".

Bakoyannis said Archbishop Stefan's statements, made in the presence of Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski, were "extremely provocative and totally unacceptable", and proved "firstly, the correctness of the Greek arguments and stands that insist on the need for resolving the name issue.

"As long as the problem remains unsolved, it will serve as the tool and vehicle of an outdated and historically unfounded irredentism that is dangerous for regional cooperation and stability of the fragile region of the Balkans," Bakoyannis said.

"The neighbouring country cannot look forward to Euro-Atlantic future as long as it remains captive to irredentist rationales of the past," she added.

On behalf of the Greek Church, Metropolitan Antimos of Thessaloniki made it clear that Greece would never agree that Macedonia name be stolen or used by its northern neighbours.

Thessaloniki mayor and MPs of various parties joined the condemnation. A number of daily newspapers commented the statement of Archbishop Stefan. /end/

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http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/10450/