The German newspaper Spiegel makes a summary of the Greek problem with our name, and gives his vision of a possible resolution of this issue - in NATO.
First, it is important to get the facts straight - Greece objects to something, but Macedonia objects to nothing:
The article also explains why the ethnic identity of the Macedonians bothers it so much:
An interesting quotation by a Greek scholar Anna Triandafyllidou from the "New Greek Nationalism" is also included in this Spiegel article:
This quotation summarizes the outcome of the Greek veto for Macedonia at the NATO summit in Bucharest, earlier this year:
And here is the core idea, presented in the final passage of the article, named "Fixing the Mistakes of Bucharest":
So basically, the author suggests that NATO could help in resolving the issue by ensuring all sides of the coin are seen. This means a complete scanning of all aspects of the problem, including the treatment of the minorities and the racist laws that keep the Macedonians to get back their land, after 60 years of the Greek Civil War. This procedure will help get to the bottom of the problem, instead of constantly working on it's surface, and bringing additional Greek demands on the table, demands that nobody is willing to compromise on.
Link: How to Solve the Greek Dispute over Macedonia's Name.
First, it is important to get the facts straight - Greece objects to something, but Macedonia objects to nothing:
... there is a fundamental difference in approaches in the two countries: Greece objects to the Macedonian claims to the legacy of Alexander the Great, but Macedonia does not object to corresponding Greek claims... Greece is bothered not just by the name, but what the name represents -- an independent ethnic Macedonian identity.
The article also explains why the ethnic identity of the Macedonians bothers it so much:
... palpable Greek fear that the adjacent Macedonian state -- with an intact, distinct Macedonian identity -- will become a platform for Greece’s minorities to challenge the status quo. Under Greek law and practice, there are no ethnic minorities. Human rights groups like Human Rights Watch have documented systematic harassment and discrimination of those who attempt to express group or cultural rights.
An interesting quotation by a Greek scholar Anna Triandafyllidou from the "New Greek Nationalism" is also included in this Spiegel article:
Since the achievement of national independence (1829-30), the Greek state has engaged in a process of construction in which its ethnic origins have been in remote antiquity. The historical trajectory of the nation has been traced in a linear form and without ruptures or discontinuities from antiquity to modernity. Thus, any changes which have marked the past and the history of the national community have been reconstructed in such a way that the nation is represented as a homogeneous and compact unit.
This quotation summarizes the outcome of the Greek veto for Macedonia at the NATO summit in Bucharest, earlier this year:
In Washington, the Greek ambassador exulted: "NATO endorsed our position at Bucharest... The requirement to solve the name issue is no longer a Greek position, it is now a NATO position and a multilateral matter".
And here is the core idea, presented in the final passage of the article, named "Fixing the Mistakes of Bucharest":
Already there are signs that Greece is mounting pressure on Macedonia to buckle and accept its position in advance of a European Commission decision on whether to recommend a date for accession talks this fall. And there are also signs that Athens’ position on the name has hardened as well. Sources with knowledge of the negotiations say that Greece is advancing its demands not only that the new name for Macedonia contain a geographical reference (like “Upper Macedonia”), but that this new name be used in all contexts. Athens’ position on “scope of use” may grow to include bilateral relations with other countries, and even Macedonia’s own internal use (for example, stipulating the use of “Upper Macedonia” on the Macedonian passport). Greece is also resisting Macedonia’s demands that its language and nationality be formally recognized by the United Nations...
... Rather than adopt a counterproductive tone of confrontation, the United States must rhetorically step to the side of the Greeks. Bringing along those allies aware of the risks for Kosovo and Macedonia, the United States should move to convene the North Atlantic Council (NAC) for an urgent session to accept the Greek interpretation of the Bucharest communiqué. But it should not stop there. The NAC must simultaneously ask the NATO Secretary General to provide a "full and complete report on all dimensions of the name dispute" within 30 days. The NAC resolution should cite the requirement in NATO's founding document "for peaceful and friendly international relations" and related obligations in the charter of the United Nations (particularly on human rights). As a result, the NATO Secretary General will have to turn to an array of organizations and individuals, including the UN mediator, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and private organizations like Human Rights Watch.
So basically, the author suggests that NATO could help in resolving the issue by ensuring all sides of the coin are seen. This means a complete scanning of all aspects of the problem, including the treatment of the minorities and the racist laws that keep the Macedonians to get back their land, after 60 years of the Greek Civil War. This procedure will help get to the bottom of the problem, instead of constantly working on it's surface, and bringing additional Greek demands on the table, demands that nobody is willing to compromise on.
Link: How to Solve the Greek Dispute over Macedonia's Name.
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