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April 26, 2005

Jason Miko

Whew! There is an absolute flurry of activity going on in Europe and the United States regarding the name issue these days. It seems that our Greek friends have taken the initiative on this one, lobbying everyone including grandma on the issue. I’m not entirely sure what stoked this mad-dash as the finish line doesn’t seem to be out there. Granted with September 13 coming up quickly in the rear view mirror (ten years since Macedonia signed the interim agreement with Greece for UN recognition), and rumors about Macedonia perhaps getting the green light to start talks with the EU this fall, perhaps that explains the urgency.

But you know what? I just don’t see a solution, other than what Macedonia has proposed: international recognition of Macedonia by its constitutional name – The Republic of Macedonia – and a double-name formula for bilateral relations between Greece and Macedonia.

However, this is not palatable to our Greek friends. Of course their argument – that the name implies territorial pretensions on northern Greece – is ludicrous and laughable. But let’s face it: their politicians have their backs against a wall. For years, they’ve either sidelined the issue thinking time is on their side – which it never was – or they have told the public that they will prevail in the end. With the United States’ recognition of Macedonia’s name last November, they’ve realized that this position has been disastrous for them, hence the urgency.

So, since their backs are against the proverbial wall, there really is only one solution: an imposed one.

We all know that the world community frequently imposes solutions on other countries. After all, that’s the way the world works. Just look at the Framework Agreement.

And in this case, it would be much easier, and far less messy, for the international community to say to our Greek friends, “enough is enough.” And actually, truth be told, it is just the European Union that needs to do this. Three out of five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council already recognize Macedonia under her constitutional name (the U.S., Russia and China), so it is up to the United Kingdom and France to do so. (It is worth pointing out that 109 countries, out of 192, recognize Macedonia by her constitutional name too).

(I had a look at the NATO web site to see if the U.S. decision affected NATO documents and see, sadly, it has not. For years, NATO documents, when they have referred to Macedonia, have referred to her as FRYOM with a footnote which reads “ Turkey recognizes the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.” Now, with the U.S. recognizing Macedonia as well, the U.S. should join Turkey as a footnote at the bottom of all NATO documents referring to Macedonia – though me thinks that the United States of America does not want to be a footnote.)

With the two of them taking the lead, as many leaders in the U.K. have already asked, they can simply will it into being. The Germans will go along as many of their politicians also want this.

If the EU were to do this, then the Greek politicians could simply tell their constituents, “look we tried to do something but the solution was imposed on us.” The Greek citizens might get mad at the EU, but hey, who is in the driver’s seat? And Javier Solana might take a little heat, but he needs some heat – it builds character.

In the meantime, the Government of Macedonia must stay the course. All indications are that it is. Statements from various Government officials all point to the fact that they are willing to keep talking, but that recognition of the name by the international community and a double-name formula for our Greek friends is the only way forward. It would help, of course, if some Government officials – especially Macedonian Albanians – came forward and started forcefully talking about this as well. It should be in their interests and they can help solidify the public’s perception of them by doing this.

Greek claims that this must be solved soon are empty. This has been going on for almost ten years now and Macedonia has survived. It can keep going forward and as it does, time is on Macedonia’s side. More and more countries will recognize the idiocy of the Greek claims and their shrill demands and more and more countries will come to see Macedonia as being victimized by Greek bullying. The claim by our Greek friends that they will put a hold on potential NATO and EU membership too is simply hollow: no such legal conditions exist for such membership.

Macedonia has already changed its constitution and flag in deference to Greek concerns. Enough is enough. The international community must take the next step by imposing a solution on Greece, recognizing Macedonia by her constitutional name and telling our Greek friends to accept a double-formula for bilateral relations with Macedonia.