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INFO
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NATO TEAM AT REGULAR
ASSESSMENT OF MACEDONIAN ACHIEVEMENTS FOR ALLIANCE MEMBERSHIP
NATO team led by the Ambassador Martin Erdman, NATO Assistant Secretary
General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, is paying a visit to the
Republic of Macedonia in the frameworks of the regular inter-ministerial
consultations in coordination with the Macedonian Foreign Ministry.
The goal of the visit is assessment of the implementation status of
Membership Action Plan (MAP) and tasks included in the Annual National
Programme of the Republic of Macedonia for the period 2007-2008 as well as
implementation of the PfP Planning and Review Process (PARP), Foreign
Ministry informed.
NATO team will be received by President Branko Crvenkovski, Parliament
Speaker Ljubisha Georgievski, PM Nikola Gruevski as well as by Defence
Minister Lazar Elenovski, Interior Minister Gordana Jankulovska, Justice
Minister Mihajlo Manevski and Finance Minister Trajko Slaveski.
Deputy PM Zoran Stavreski, National Coordinator for Integration of the
Republic of Macedonia to NATO Nikola Dimitrov as well as the state secretary
in the Foreign Ministry Igor Iliveski will organise a working lunch for
Ambassador Erdman.
High NATO delegation will also meet with A meeting with the representatives
of VMRO-DPMNE, DPA, SDSM, DUI, SPM, DOM and PDP.
The visit of NATO team will end on Friday by meeting with the Ambassadors of
NATO member states to Macedonia.
After the ending the visit, NATO team is to prepare an evaluation of the
overall achieved accomplishments in the Republic of Macedonia in relation to
MAP and PARP which is to be presented before the NATO member states.
“NEUTRAL STATUS”
PROPOSAL FOR KOSOVO UNPOPULAR WITH BELGRADE, PRISTINA
The contact group Troika’s “neutral status” proposal for Kosovo proved
unpopular with both Belgrade and Pristina, as the former deemed the province
as an indivisible part of its territory while the latter wants nothing less
than independence.
Serbian Minister for Kosovo and Metohija Slobodan Samardzic warned Wednesday
that the province could not have neutral status as far as Serbia was
concerned, because it was an integral and inalienable part of its territory,
while Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said that any status proposal that did
not envisage Kosovo’s independence was unacceptable for Pristina.
The EU representative in the Troika Wolfgang Ischinger told reporters in
Washington that the Troika would present a proposal on “neutral status” for
Kosovo at the next round of talks in Brussels, with the aim to “normalize
relations between Serbia and Kosovo, without containing a single word on
status”. “Ischinger’s idea about a neutral status for Kosovo is based on a
1972 agreement between two independent German states and this idea is
directly contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” said Samardzic in
an interview with the official Tanjug news agency.
Sejdiu said that Pristina’s stand was well-known, “we do not accept any
other solution except Kosovo’s independence.” Kosovo, which legally remains
a Serbian province, has been under UN administration since 1999. The
predominantly Albanians of the 2 million population demand outright
independence instead of maximum autonomy offered by Serbia.
Fresh negotiations are continuing under the aegis of the troika of EU, US
and Russian envoys, but have so far showed little sign of breaking the
deadlock. The troika will report on Dec. 10 to the UN Secretary-General Ban
Ki-moon about the latest talks. |
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NEWS
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BURNS: NAME CANNOT BE OBSTACLE TO
INVITATION FOR MACEDONIA’S NATO MEMBERSHIP
The name of Macedonia cannot be an obstacle the country not to receive an
invitation for membership in NATO, Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary for
Political Affairs of the US Department of State, stated.
- We cannot cancel the invitation for NATO membership to Macedonia because
of no reason only if it does not respond to the membership criteria, the US
diplomat stated before the Subcommittee on Europe in the US House of
Representatives.
- Greece does not exclude the possibility to put a veto on Macedonia's
membership if until then the name dispute is not resolved. Although the US
share the position on the importance for resolving the name problem, we do
not consider that the dispute alone represents a reason for Macedonia to be
thwarted to join the international organisation, Burns added.
He explained that the US supports the process, which is conducted in the UN
as part of the agenda of the mediator Matthew Nimetz, as well as respect of
the interim agreement between Skopje and Athens, which, as he said, allows
Macedonia to join regional and international organisations under the name of
the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Nicholas Burns stressed that in spite of the US support Macedonia still has
not provided the invitation for the membership in the Alliance.
According to the Greek news agency ANA-MPA, the US diplomat asked fro Skopje
to show "necessary flexibility for Greece's sensitivity in regard to this
issue, which Macedonia is obliged to take into consideration."
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