LETTER TO EDITOR: Macedonia, NATO, Greece
Sens. Olympia Snowe and Robert Menendez raise a critical issue in resolving the vexing name dispute between Macedonia and Greece in "Macedonian Quandary"(Commentary, Sept. 24).
Greece claims that "Macedonia" can only refer to a province in Greece and any use by any other country of that name is a direct attack on Greek sovereignty and an attempt to partition Greece. It's a bizarre claim, considering that Macedonia has only a police force along the common border and Greece is a NATO member.
The court of public opinion understands that there are two sides to every story - especially when it comes to the name Macedonia. Macedonians gained their independence following the breakup of Yugoslavia in 1991.
Our small country of 2 million people borders Greece. After nearly falling victim to the ethnic divisions and wars that ravaged the Balkan region, Macedonians set about charting a course for Western integration. Over the course of just six years, we broke down political barriers and devolved government power, overhauled the judiciary and cracked down on corruption. Our country has emerged as an ethnic melting pot dedicated to building a democratic system based on the rule of law, freedom of speech, religious tolerance and human rights.
A modernized Macedonian military has deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq. U.N. forces are using Macedonia as headquarters to keep peace in Kosovo. Clearly, we are a country that understands the underpinnings of NATO: shared democratic values.
In Macedonia, these are not just words; they are practices put into action. NATO has decided that Macedonia has earned entry into the alliance, but in April at the Bucharest Summit, one country objected - and that was Greece.
It objected not because of any shortcoming in Macedonia's exhaustive economic, political and military reform checklist but because of the name of our country. In doing so, Greece violated the interim accord it signed with Macedonia in 1995, which prohibits blocking Macedonia from any international institutions while the name issue is being resolved.
We cannot afford to let a debate that stretches back 2,000 years get in the way of the safety and security of Europe and the United States, and Macedonia remains determined and committed to resolving the name dispute with Greece.
NATO's December meeting presents an opportunity to extend an invitation to a country that will contribute to broadening NATO's sphere of security and democracy. Disagreements over a name should have no bearing on keeping Macedonia out.
ZORAN JOLEVSKI
Ambassador
Republic of Macedonia
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
