Greece and Macedonia will hold talks under United Nations supervision in January to solve a long-standing name dispute between the neighbours and boost stability in the Balkans, a UN envoy said today.
Macedonia took that name when it declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991. Athens objects because it is also the name of a northern Greek province, birthplace of Alexander the Great.
Greece has threatened to block Macedonia's accession to Nato and the European Union if it refuses to accept a new name.
UN envoy Matthew Nimetz said if the meeting in the Macedonian capital Skopje in January was successful a second meeting would be held in Athens at a later date.
Nimetz, on a diplomatic trip to both capitals, said the dispute could be settled because of the positive fallout for all sides. Talks have been going on since 1993 with little progress.
"This is one that cries out for a solution because the positives of solving it are so great," he told reporters in Athens after meeting Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyanni.
At the United Nations, Macedonia is officially called "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia." Nato and the EU also use the acronym FYROM, though the United States, Canada, Russia, China, and several EU states use the name "Macedonia". Macedonian hopes for an invitation next year to join Nato.
Mr Nimetz said a deal should be ideally clinched before the Nato Summit in the spring next year. "The Nato process will be enhanced, the EU process will be enhanced, stability in light of what is happening in Kosovo and other areas of the region can be enhanced. So many good things can happen if this issue is resolved," he said.
In Kosovo, north of Macedonia, the ethnic Albanian majority is expected to declare independence, perhaps in early 2008, after a UN report on December 10th on failed talks with Serbia.
The independence move could unsettle the wider region, including Macedonia which has a large ethnic Albanian minority.