18.07.08 - 22:05 International Monitoring of Macedonia - Greece border

MHRMI Calls for International Monitoring of Macedonia - Greece border

Toronto, Canada, July 18, 2008 - On Sunday, July 20, 2008, several hundred, possibly thousands, of Macedonian political refugees will attempt to enter Greece at the Medjitlia/Niki border crossing in order to attend their 4thWorld Reunion.

Following Macedonian Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's call for Greece to finally recognize its large Macedonian minority, Greek government officials have reacted in outrage, claiming that the Macedonian minority is "non-existent", that Macedonia's membership in the EU is now in jeopardy, and that Greek Neo-Nazi's may attack Macedonians at the border crossing on July 20 and at their reunion later that day in Meliti/Ovcharani.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the evacuation by the International Red Cross of 28,000 Macedonian children (Detsa Begaltsi), aged 2-14, during the Greek Civil War. They were subsequently stripped of their Greek citizenship and have been consistently denied entry into Greece simply because they assert their Macedonian ethnic identity. They were excluded from the 1982 law that allowed the free return of political refugees who were "Greek by genus".

"Greece's persecution of Macedonians continues to intensify, many of whom are Canadian, American and Australian citizens. The governments of these countries, among others, must protect the rights of their citizens and demand from Greece that this discrimination be ceased immediately or face repercussions," said MHRMI President Bill Nicholov.

MHRMI calls on international government officials, media, human rights organizations and other interested parties to attend the border crossing between the Republic of Macedonia and Greece at Medjitlia/Niki on July 20, 2008 to monitor Greece's compliance with its obligations under international human rights law.
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18.07.08 - 20:15 FALLACIOUS ANSWER

Greek PM Karamanlis replies to Gruevski's letter

There is no "Macedonian minority" in Greece. There never has been. In this respect, any allegations regarding the existence of such a minority are totally unfounded, politically motivated and disrespectful of the historic realities of the region, reads the reply of Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis to the letter sent by Macedonian counterpart Nikola Gruevski, in which he urges the recognition of the Macedonian minority in Greece, reports news agency ANA-MPA. As for the properties issue raised by Gruevski, Karamanlis claims any individual could make use of any legal recourse before the courts, including the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. The Greek PM says that for the last fifteen years, pursuant to the relevant decisions of the UN Security Council, Greece and Macedonia have committed themselves to negotiations in the framework of the United Nations regarding the name issue, "which needs to be resolved in the interest of the maintenance of peaceful and good neighbourly relations in the region", as stipulated by the Security Council in Resolution 817. "In the past few weeks the Special Envoy of the United Nations Mr. Matthew Nimetz presented some ideas that could move the negotiations forward", says Karamanlis, expressing his regret that "it is precisely at this critical moment in the negotiating effort that you have chosen to send your letter". He states, "I take this opportunity to underline Greece's firm commitment to the promotion of friendly and good relations with all its neighbouring countries, especially with the countries of the Western Balkans, and the creation of the necessary conditions that will allow them to join, in the near future, the Euro-Atlantic and European families". According to Karamanlis, since 1993, Greece has demonstrated good will, under the auspices of the U.N., to find a mutually acceptable solution on the name issue, which would take into consideration the legitimate interests and sensitivities of both our countries. This is within the mandate of the relevant U.N. Security Council Resolutions, but also the wish of all countries participating in the Euro-Atlantic and European institutions as was also unequivocally stated in the Bucharest NATO Summit and in the EU European Council in Brussels respectively. The Greek PM claims that Gruevski's letter is far from promoting the negotiations and the good neighbourly relations, since "it raises a number of non-existent and unsubstantiated issues", which go against the efforts made by Greece, and also aim at interfering in the domestic affairs of a neighbouring state. "Times have changed. I am convinced that the future of the Balkan countries lies within the European and Euro-Atlantic institutions and not in nationalist formulas of a bygone era which must be left behind once and for all. Greece remains firmly committed to working towards that goal. History judges leaders by how they rise to the challenge and assume their responsibilities. Much will depend on your positive attitude and constructive spirit", reads the reply by Karamanlis to the letter of Macedonian PM Gruevski.


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